Lok Sabha Question No. 293 (STARRED), answered on 2018-08-07
Subject: Violation of Consumer Rights
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: BHARTRUHARI MAHTAB

## Government of India Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution

## Department of Consumer Affairs

## LOK SABHA

STARRED QUESTION NO. *293 TO BE ANSWERED ON 07.08.2018

## VIOLATION OF CONSUMER RIGHTS

## *293.  SHRI BHARTRUHARI MAHTAB:

## 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 the consumers aware of their rights across the country, particularly in rural areas;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (c) whether the Government has sought participation of the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) for effective implementation of the said policy/strategy in rural areas of the country and if so, the details thereof along with the response received by the Government from PRIs in this regard;
- (d) whether complaints regarding violation of consumer rights have increased in the country during each of the last  three  years  and  the  current  year  and  if  so,  the  details  thereof,  State/UT-wise along with the action taken/being taken by the Government on such complaints; and
- (e) the  steps  taken/being  taken  by  the  Government  to  protect  the  rights  of  the  consumers, particularly rural consumers?

## ANSWER

miHkksDrk ekeys] [kk| vkSj lkoZtfud forj.k ea=h ¼Jh jke foykl ikloku½

THE MINISTER OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SHRI RAM VILAS PASWAN)

(a) to (e) :

A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

*****

## STATEMENT REFERRED IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (e) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION  NO.*293 FOR 07.08.2018  REGARDING  VIOLATION  OF  CONSUMER RIGHTS.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(a) to ( c ) : 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.  The  recipient  State  Government/UT  has freedom to utilize the funds through any agency including Panchayati Raj Institutions.

(d) to (e ):  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, including the rural consumers. Under the provisions of the said Act, a threetier quasi-judicial mechanism, called Consumer Fora, has been established at the District, State and National levels to provide simple, inexpensive and speedy redressal to consumer disputes. 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. Also, six zonal consumer helplines at Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Patna, Kolkata and Guwahati have been set up to attend to the consumer grievances in regional languages.

## ANNEXURE REFERRED IN REPLY TO PARTS (d) TO (e) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.*293 FOR 07.08.2018 REGARDING VIOLATION OF CONSUMER RIGHTS.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

## COMPLAINTS RECEIVED AT NATIONAL CONSUMER HELPLINE FROM APRIL, 2016 TO JUNE, 2018.

| S.N o.   | State                  |   April 2015- March 2016 |   April 2016- March 2017 |   April 2017- March 2018 |   April 2018- June 2018 |   Total No. of Complaints Received. |
|----------|------------------------|--------------------------|--------------------------|--------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------------------|
| 1        | Delhi                  |                    29563 |                    42217 |                    58047 |                   16293 |                              146120 |
| 2        | Uttar Pradesh          |                    25388 |                    42147 |                    62901 |                   18680 |                              149116 |
| 3        | Maharashtra            |                    21696 |                    39477 |                    63135 |                   18422 |                              142730 |
| 4        | West Bengal            |                    12096 |                    19751 |                    31315 |                    9277 |                               72439 |
| 5        | Rajasthan              |                     9945 |                    19547 |                    30602 |                    7952 |                               68046 |
| 6        | Haryana                |                    10623 |                    17641 |                    25238 |                    7122 |                               60624 |
| 7        | Madhya Pradesh         |                     7617 |                    18410 |                    25335 |                    6834 |                               58196 |
| 8        | Gujarat                |                     8876 |                    16888 |                    25133 |                    8074 |                               58971 |
| 9        | Karnataka              |                     8667 |                    15701 |                    27730 |                    8253 |                               60351 |
| 10       | Bihar                  |                     7913 |                    13142 |                    19639 |                    5441 |                               46135 |
| 11       | Punjab                 |                     4178 |                     7262 |                    11568 |                    3372 |                               26380 |
| 12       | Tamil Nadu             |                     4277 |                     7617 |                    11754 |                    3124 |                               26772 |
| 13       | Telangana              |                     1582 |                     5805 |                    12356 |                    3892 |                               23635 |
| 14       | Jharkhand              |                     2805 |                     4796 |                     6941 |                    1836 |                               16378 |
| 15       | Andhra Pradesh         |                     3400 |                     3819 |                     5640 |                    1736 |                               14595 |
| 16       | Odisha                 |                     2530 |                     4195 |                     6701 |                    1879 |                               15305 |
| 17       | Chhattisgarh           |                     2132 |                     4169 |                     5842 |                    1664 |                               13807 |
| 18       | Uttrakhand             |                     1933 |                     3463 |                     4839 |                    1441 |                               11676 |
| 19       | Kerala                 |                     1536 |                     2647 |                     4687 |                    1390 |                               10260 |
| 20       | Assam                  |                     1522 |                     2661 |                     4084 |                    1167 |                                9434 |
| 21       | Jammu &Kashmir         |                     1361 |                     2136 |                     3279 |                     886 |                                7662 |
| 22       | Himachal Pradesh       |                     1128 |                     1894 |                     3044 |                     680 |                                6746 |
| 23       | Chandigarh             |                      563 |                     1084 |                     1781 |                     577 |                                4005 |
| 24       | Goa                    |                      329 |                      592 |                      998 |                     296 |                                2215 |
| 25       | Tripura                |                      235 |                      450 |                      616 |                     150 |                                1451 |
| 26       | Meghalaya              |                       92 |                      174 |                      257 |                      73 |                                 596 |
| 27       | Puducherry             |                       83 |                      113 |                      243 |                      72 |                                 511 |
| 28       | Arunachal Pradesh      |                       55 |                      145 |                      170 |                      67 |                                 437 |
| 29       | Dadra &Nagar Haveli    |                       86 |                      114 |                      184 |                      51 |                                 435 |
| 30       | Sikkim                 |                       71 |                      119 |                      211 |                      35 |                                 436 |
| 31       | Manipur                |                       62 |                      125 |                      168 |                      42 |                                 397 |
| 32       | Andaman Nicobar        |                       25 |                       90 |                      190 |                      34 |                                 339 |
| 33       | Daman &Diu             |                       58 |                       82 |                      123 |                      39 |                                 302 |
| 34       | Nagaland               |                       36 |                       69 |                      105 |                      22 |                                 232 |
| 35       | Mizoram                |                       19 |                       23 |                       42 |                       7 |                                  91 |
| 36       | Lakshdweep             |                        1 |                        4 |                        6 |                       2 |                                  13 |
| 37       | Not Identified/ Abroad |                       75 |                       20 |                        0 |                       0 |                                  95 |
|          | Grand Total            |                   172558 |                   298589 |                   454904 |                  130882 |                             1056933 |

*****