TOWARDS BETTER
PROTECTION OF CONSUMER RIGHTS
TASK
FORCE TO ENSURE EFFICIENT FOODGRAINS MANAGEMENT
|
THREE YEARS’ ACHIEVEMENTS
OF THE GOVERNMENT
|
The Department of
Consumer Affairs in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and
Public Distribution has taken several initiatives to create awareness
among consumers about their rights and the provision for redressal
mechanism in case of deficient goods or unsatisfactory services.
Consumer Protection
(Amendment) Bill, 2001 was introduced in the Rajya Sabha on April
26, 2001. Enacted in 1986, The Consumer Protection Act seeks to
better safeguard the rights of consumers by establishing an "Alternate
Justice Delivery System" free of cost to consumers. The Act was
amended in 1991 and 1993 and is being further amended to make
it more effective and purposeful. The Consumer Protection (Amendment)
Bill, 2002 ( to be passed by Rajya Sabha) contains provisions
to facilitate quicker disposal of consumer complaints, enhance
the capability of redressal agencies, strengthen them with more
powers, streamline the procedures and widen the scope of the Act
to make consumer courts more functional and effective. It is expected
to be passed by the Parliament in the forthcoming Winter Session.
In order to promote
consumer awareness, Ministry has opened a web site on the working
of the Department. To encourage voluntary consumer organisations,
women and youth, Swami Vivekananda National Awards for outstanding
work in the field of consumer protection have been instituted.
Citizens’Charters
are being introduced in different Ministries/Departments/Organisations
of the central government in collaboration with Department of
Administrative Reforms to provide responsive administration at
all levels with emphasis on transparency and accountability from
service providers.
It is proposed to
set up a Consumer Protection Council at District level and make
it a necessary requirement for the government to establish District,
State and National level Councils. Government has also approved
a scheme for setting up District Consumer Information Centre (DCIC)
in each district of the country over a period of five years. Under
the scheme, a grant of Rs. 5 lakhs is provided for each such centre.
The Standing Committee
on Consumer Welfare Fund has approved 527 proposals involving
an assistance of Rs. 4.82 crore as on March 2002 for promoting
welfare of consumers and to strengthen consumer movement in the
country.
A new scheme, Jagriti
Shibir Yojana has been initiated in 2000-01 under which a sum
of Rs.50000 per district is provided to state governments for
undertaking awareness programme among the poor people about the
welfare schemes like Antyodaya Anna Yojana, Annapoorna Yojana,
Food for Work programme etc.
The Essential Commodities
(Amendment) Bill, 2000 seeking to amend the Essential Commodities
Act, 1955 to make it more effective while eliminating unnecessary
harassment to genuine traders has been introduced in Parliament
in March 2000.
Steps have been initiated
to expand futures trading in commodities by covering all commodities
barring a few sensitive ones. At present futures trading is allowed
in 40 commodities including several oils, oil seeds ginger, cotton
and turmeric. It is proposed to restructure the commodity market
regulator--the Forward Markets Commission.
A commodity exchange,
e—Sugar India Limited has been given final approval to commence
futures trading in sugar.
Consumer Cooperative
Division
The Consumer Cooperative
Division launched a scheme for distributing selected consumer
goods of daily use to support the poor consumers under a scheme
called Sarvpriya Scheme. These commodities are to supplement the
public distribution system and could be distributed through Fair
Price Shops, Consumer Cooperative Stores, units of State Civil
Supplies Corporation etc. as identified by State Governments.
BUREAU OF INDIAN
STANDARDS
Bureau of Indian
Standards has issued 16195 operative licenses as on March 31,
2002 covering more than 1000 items ranging from food products
and mineral water to electronics. BIS Quality System Certification
Scheme based on International standards of quality management
has 916 operative licenses as on March 31, 2001.
Hallmarking of gold
jewellry (gold jewellry certification) was started by BIS keeping
in view the consumer interest and marketing demand on a voluntary
basis. The scheme is aimed at providing third party assurance
to consumers on the purity of gold or its fineness. By May 2002,
11 hall marking centres have been recognised for certification
of gold and 306 jewellers have been certified under this scheme.
WEIGHTS AND MEASURES
The Packaged Commodities
Rules, 1977 which provide protection to consumers in respect of
label declaration and ensuring availability of declared quantity
was amended to make it more transparent and user friendly.
Specification of
clinical thermometers were aligned with the specification issued
by Bureau of Indian Standards to remove any ambiguity. Specification
of new weighing and measuring instruments were notified under
General Rules to ensure that only verified and correct instruments
are used in the field.
A draft Bill for
amending Standards of Weights and Measures Act, 1976 and Standards
of Weights and Measures (Enforcement) Act, 1985 was placed before
the Cabinet Committee for consideration.
DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
The Department of
Food has set up a task force comprising senior officials of the
ministry to ensure efficient implementation of Public Distribution
System (PDS). The task force headed by Secretary, Food and Public
Distribution will monitor and supervise all issues relating to
management of foodgrains and liaison with State Governments to
ensure smooth functioning of PDS and grain management in general.
ANTYODAYA ANNA YOJANA
Launching of Antyodaya
Anna Yojana (AAY), a scheme for supplying highly subsidised foodgrains
to the poorest of the poor marks an important milestone in providing
social security to the economically vulnerable in the country.
Under the scheme, launched on December 25, 2000; each identified
family is given 35 kilograms of foodgrains per month at Rs. 2
per kg. for wheat and Rs. 3 per kg. for rice.
RESTRUCTURING OF
PDS
Public Distribution
System has been restructured as the Targeted PDS (TPDS) for reaching
foodgrains to the poor on subsidised prices. The quantity of foodgrains
available under TPDS has been increased from 25 kg. per month
per family to 35 kg. per month per family with effect from April
2002.
Government of India
has issued the Public Distribution System (Control) Order, 2001
under the Essential Commodities Act to ensure timely supply of
rations to 4.62 lakh fair price shops around the country as well
as to streamline PDS. This Order contains provisions for identification
of families below poverty line, distribution of ration cards,
scale and issue prices of items distributed through fair price
shops, fair distribution of foodgrains, licensing of FPSs and
monitoring of their functioning. In addition, this Order also
provides for punishment to those who violate its provisions.
As on July 26, 2002;
the number of valid ration cards in the country stands at 2170.92
lakhs. These include 656.49 lakhs of BPL, 1418.12 lakhs of APL
and 96.31 lakh AAY cards.
FOOD FOR WORK PROGRAMME
Food for Work Programme
was introduced in January 2001, under which foodgrains are allocated
free of cost to States through the Ministry of Rural Development.
This scheme has been extended to states affected by drought and
other natural calamities to be implemented as part of the Employment
Assurance Scheme. States have also been given the flexibility
to determine the wage and material components of the works to
be undertaken under Food for Work Programme. During 2001-02, the
offtake under Food For Work Programme was 31.84 lakh tonnes against
an allotment of 33.33 lakh tonnes. During 2002-03 (as on July
25, 2002), 18.11 lakh tonnes of foodgrains was issued to three
states and the off take was 12. 18 lakh tonnes.
EXPORT OF FOODGRAINS
The decision to offer
wheat from central pool for the purpose of export was taken on
November 2, 2001 and export of rice from the central pool was
allowed from December 20, 2000. As on September 26, 2002, 141.49
lakh tonnes of foodgrains has been lifted for export and 158.36
lakh tonnes has been paid for. Foreign exchange worth more than
Rs.6656 crore has been earned by the country through foodgrains
export.
Government has initiated
several measures for promoting export of foodgrains from central
pool. An empowered standing Committee on exports has been set
up in the ministry to take speedy decisions on matters relating
to exports of foodgrains.
Price of foodgrains
from central pool for exports is fixed for a period of three months
with an additional month permitted for lifting of stocks. Prices
are annouced 45 days in advance before the commencement of the
concerned quarter.
Exporters are allowed
WTO compatible post delivery and inland transport expenses also
as a promotional measure.
SUGAR
The Government has
decided to fully decontrol sugar industry after introducing futures
trading in sugar this year. The levy obligation imposed on sugar
mills has been brought down from 60% to 10 % to facilitate sugar
mills to make sugarcane payment to farmers in time. Export of
sugar has been permitted and about 14.56 lakh metric tonnes of
sugar has been exported during the financial year 2001-02.
The Sugar Development
Fund (Amendment) Act, 2002 came into force on 27th
May 2002. This enables the sugar factories to obtain loans for
setting up bagasse based cogeneration power projects and for production
of ethanol with a view to improve their viability. The Act also
provides for defraying expenditure on internal transport and freight
charges to the sugar factories in export shipments of sugar with
a view to promoting exports.
EDIBLE OILS
Government has rationalised
the duty structure of edible oils in order to harmonise the interests
of farmers, processors and consumers. Free imports of edible oil
is permitted except for copra/ coconut oil which is canalised
through the State Trading Corporation (STC).
The Tariff value
of edible oils was restructured with effect from. September 5,
2002, the basic price of crude palm oil has been fixed at $ 392
per tonne, RBD palm oil at $ 414 per tonne, RBD palmolein at $
426 per tonne and crude palmolein at $ 411 per tonne. The base
import price of soyabean oil has been fixed at $ 542 per tonne.
India- Nepal Trade
Treaty has been revised to safeguard the interests of domestic
vanaspati manufacturers.
