Lok Sabha Question No. 2968 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-03-13
Subject: Consumer Awareness
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: SANJAY SHAMRAO DHOTRE, RAHUL RAMESH SHEWALE

## Government of India

## Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Department of Consumer Affairs

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2968 TO BE ANSWERED ON 13.03.2018

## CONSUMER AWARENESS

2968.   SHRI SANJAY DHOTRE: SHRI RAHUL SHEWALE:

## Will  the  Minister  of  CONSUMER  AFFAIRS,  FOOD  AND  PUBLIC  DISTRIBUTION miHkksDrk ekeys] [kk| vkSj lkoZtfud forj.k ea=h be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has implemented any policy/strategy to educate/make aware consumers about their rights across the country particularly in rural areas, if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether  the  Government  has  sought  participation  of  Panchayati  Raj  Institutions  for  effective implementation of the said policy/strategy in rural areas of the country, if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether  the  complaints  about  violation  of  consumer  rights  have  increased  in  the  country  during each of the last three years and the current year, if so, the details thereof, State/UT-wise; and
- (d) the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  protect  the  rights  of  the  consumers  particularly  rural consumers?

## ANSWER

miHkksDrk ekeys] [kk| vkSj lkoZtfud forj.k jkT; ea=h ¼Jh lh- vkj- pkS/kjh½

## THE MINISTER OF STATE CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SHRI C. R. CHAUDHARY)

- (a)   & (b)   :  The Government carries out a multi-media 'Jago Grahak Jago' campaign on Pan-India basis covering both rural and urban areas through print, electronic and outdoor media. Grants-in-aid are also released to States/UTs for creating consumer awareness in the respective States/UTs in their regional languages so as to further ensure that the campaign reaches the rural and backward areas of the country by way  of  focusing  on  hoardings,  village  mandis,  agricultural  regulated  markets/vegetables  markets  at prominent places in rural areas.

(c) & (d) : A statement showing the number of complaints received from the consumers, State/UT-wise in the National Consumer Helpline being run by the Department of Consumer Affairs in the last three years and the current year is at Annexure. The Consumer Protection Act, 1986 has been enacted to provide for better protection of the rights of the consumers, which includes the rural consumers. Under the provisions of the said Act, a three-tier quasi-judicial mechanism, called Consumer Fora, has been established at the district,  State  and  National  levels  to  provide  simple,  inexpensive  and  speedy  justice  to  consumer complaints. Besides, the Department of Consumer Affairs runs a National Consumer Helpline with a toll free number 1800-11-4000 and a short code 14404, to deal with consumer grievances.

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## ANNEXURE

## STATEMENT  REFERRED  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (c)  &  (d)  OF  LOK  SABHA  UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2968 FOR 13.03.2018 REGARDING CONSUMER AWARENESS.

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| State Sr.No.   | wise Calls received at National State   |   Consumer May 2014 - March 2015 |   Helpline April 2015- March 2016 |   April 2016- March 2017 |   April 2017- January 2018 |   Total |
|----------------|-----------------------------------------|----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|--------------------------|----------------------------|---------|
| 1              | DELHI                                   |                            29409 |                             29563 |                    42217 |                      48525 |  149714 |
| 2              | UTTAR PRADESH                           |                            22575 |                             25388 |                    42147 |                      52047 |  142157 |
| 3              | MAHARASHTRA                             |                            14961 |                             21696 |                    39477 |                      53334 |  129468 |
| 4              | WEST BENGAL                             |                             7930 |                             12096 |                    19751 |                      26047 |   65824 |
| 5              | RAJASTHAN                               |                             8627 |                              9945 |                    19547 |                      24806 |   62925 |
| 6              | HARYANA                                 |                             9953 |                             10623 |                    17641 |                      21167 |   59384 |
| 7              | MADHYA PRADESH                          |                             5632 |                              7617 |                    18410 |                      22073 |   53732 |
| 8              | GUJARAT                                 |                             6104 |                              8876 |                    16888 |                      20983 |   52851 |
| 9              | KARNATAKA                               |                             5702 |                              8667 |                    15701 |                      22685 |   52755 |
| 10             | BIHAR                                   |                             7398 |                              7913 |                    13142 |                      15883 |   44336 |
| 11             | PUNJAB                                  |                             3951 |                              4178 |                     7262 |                       9398 |   24789 |
| 12             | TAMILNADU                               |                             2893 |                              4277 |                     7617 |                       9885 |   24672 |
| 13             | TELANGANA                               |                              495 |                              1582 |                     5805 |                      10555 |   18437 |
| 14             | JHARKHAND                               |                             2198 |                              2805 |                     4796 |                       5760 |   15559 |
| 15             | ANDHRA PRADESH                          |                             2431 |                              3400 |                     3819 |                       4787 |   14437 |
| 16             | ODISHA                                  |                             1688 |                              2530 |                     4195 |                       5568 |   13981 |
| 17             | CHHATTISGARH                            |                             1553 |                              2132 |                     4169 |                       4915 |   12769 |
| 18             | UTTRAKHAND                              |                             1572 |                              1933 |                     3463 |                       4036 |   11004 |
| 19             | KERALA                                  |                             1039 |                              1536 |                     2647 |                       3927 |    9149 |
| 20             | ASSAM                                   |                              947 |                              1522 |                     2661 |                       3344 |    8474 |
| 21             | JAMMU &KASHMIR                          |                             1112 |                              1361 |                     2136 |                       2695 |    7304 |
| 22             | HIMACHAL PRADESH                        |                              849 |                              1128 |                     1894 |                       2534 |    6405 |
| 23             | CHANDIGARH                              |                              481 |                               563 |                     1084 |                       1506 |    3634 |
| 24             | GOA                                     |                              256 |                               329 |                      592 |                        840 |    2017 |
| 25             | TRIPURA                                 |                              176 |                               235 |                      450 |                        532 |    1393 |
| 26             | MEGHALAYA                               |                               58 |                                92 |                      174 |                        231 |     555 |
| 27             | PUDUCHERRY                              |                               49 |                                83 |                      113 |                        210 |     455 |
| 28             | ARUNACHAL PRADESH                       |                               35 |                                55 |                      145 |                        164 |     399 |
| 29             | DADRA&NAGAR HAVELI                      |                               35 |                                86 |                      114 |                        160 |     395 |
| 30             | SIKKIM                                  |                               41 |                                71 |                      119 |                        162 |     393 |
| 31             | MANIPUR                                 |                               44 |                                62 |                      125 |                        137 |     368 |
| 32             | ANDAMAN NICOBAR                         |                               39 |                                25 |                       90 |                        156 |     310 |
| 33             | DAMAN &DIU                              |                               29 |                                58 |                       82 |                        104 |     273 |
| 34             | NAGALAND                                |                               44 |                                36 |                       69 |                         91 |     240 |
| 35             | MIZORAM                                 |                                8 |                                19 |                       23 |                         32 |      82 |
| 36             | LAKSHDWEEP                              |                                4 |                                 1 |                        4 |                          3 |      12 |
| 37             | Not Identified/ Abroad                  |                               90 |                                75 |                       20 |                          1 |     186 |
|                | Grand Total                             |                           140408 |                            172558 |                   298589 |                     379283 |  990838 |