NEW DELHI, March 15: Terming Consumer Protection as top priority of Government, Minister for Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali has said that there will be no compromise on safeguarding Consumer Rights in Jammu & Kashmir and those who found involved in deceiving Consumers will be dealt with iron hands.
The Minister was addressing in a programme to commemorate World Consumer Rights Day at New Delhi which was presided over by Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Ram Vilas Paswan. On the occasion Union Minister for Law, Justice and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad was Chief Guest while C. R. Chaudhary, Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution was guest of honor. R. Chandrashekhar, President of National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) and Former Secretary to Government for Information Technology presented key note address. The programme was also attended by Ministers and Secretaries of maximum Indian states along with other stakeholders.
Representing J&K State, Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali said that Consumer Protection is top priority of Jammu & Kashmir Government and his Department has focused on the issues of Consumers so that they are not being deceived. ‘We will not allow anybody to deceive our Consumers in J&K and we have build a strong Consumer grievance redressal mechanism to address the issues of Consumers’, Minister said adding that anybody found defaulter has been taken to task.
Throwing lights on the World Consumer Rights Day, Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali said that the Day is an opportunity to promote the basic rights of consumers. He said that these rights need to be respected and protected by curbing the market abuses and social injustices which undermine those rights. He said that the Day was inspired by USA President John F Kennedy, who gave an address to the US congress on 15 March 1962, in which he formally addressed the issue of consumer rights.
About this years theme for World Consumer Rights Day, Minister said that ‘Building a Digital World Consumers can Trust’ is the need of the hour of present era. He said that Jammu & Kashmir Government has digitized data which is bringing new revolution in the working of system. He said that his Department has 100 percent digitized data and now the Department is heading towards installation of Point of Sale Machines. He said that electronic Public Distribution will bring total transparency and accountability in the system.
About the J&K Governments thrust on safeguarding Consumer rights, Minister said that In Jammu province, 3109 cases were booked and 3049 compounded and a fine to the tune of Rs3771850 was realized from defaulters in Jammu Province during 9 months in 2016. Similarly they booked 1997 erring traders in Kashmir and a penal sum of Rs: 1630400/= was slapped on the defaulters in Valley. He added that the department booked some MNCs for violating the norms of labeling while some were booked for carrying smudged MRP's on the labels. He added that some MNCs were booked for charging more than MRP and also for indulging in over-charging on text- books and stationery items.
The Minister said that Consumer Helpline Toll Free Numbers have already been started and people are responding to these numbers. He added that State Consumer Protection Council have been strengthened while District Consumer Forums have been constituted to safeguard the interests of the Consumers in Jammu & Kashmir.