Lok Sabha Question No. 2969 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-08-03
Subject: Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Sangeeta Azad

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2969

TO BE ANSWERED ON 03.08.2022

## CONSUMER DISPUTES REDRESSAL COMMISSION

2969.  SHRIMATI SANGEETA AZAD:

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

- (a) the present number of Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions(CDRCs) that have been set up at every district, State and National level;
- (b) the manner in which a consumer from urban or rural area, can file a complaint with CDRC;
- (c) whether the Government has taken initiatives to make people aware about consumer rights and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) the  mechanism  in  place  to  redress  the  grievances  of  the  rural  population  and  to  compensate  the consumer at the earliest?

## ANSWER

## miHkksDrk ekeys] [kk| vkSj lkoZtfud forj.k jkT; ea=h (श्री अश्विनी क ु मार चौबे)

## THE MINISTER OF STATE CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

(a)  : At present, the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission is established at national level and 728 Consumer Commissions have been established at State and District level in the country.

(b) :  Under the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, a consumer can file consumer complaint in Consumer Commission of appropriate jurisdiction offline or online using e-Daakhil portal (www.edaakhil.nic.in). As per the revised pecuniary jurisdiction, a District Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission  has  jurisdiction  to  entertain  complaints  where  the  value  of  the  goods  or  services  paid  as consideration does not exceed Rupees Fifty Lakh. The State Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission and the  National  Consumer  Dispute  Redressal  Commission  have  jurisdication  where  such  consideration  is above Rupees Fifty Lakh & upto Rupees Two Crore and above Rupees Two Crore respectively.

(c)  :  Department  of  Consumer  Affairs  has  generated  consumer  awareness  under  "Jago  Grahak  Jago" Campaign among all the consumers of the country through video spots and other material on issues like salient  features  of  the  Consumer  Protection  Act  2019,  packaged  commodities,  weights  and  measures, hallmark, consumer grievance redressal mechanism through departmental website, State / UT Governments, VCOs, TV, Radio, CSCs. Regular messages on these issues are being posted on social media to  harness  its  potential  to  create  consumer  awareness.  State  /  UT  Governments  have  been  involved  to spread consumer awareness in rural and remote  areas.

The  Department  of  Consumer  Affairs  has  recently  launched  'Jagriti',  a  mascot  for  empowering consumers  and  generating  awareness  of  their  rights.  'Jagriti'  is  projected  as  an  empowered  young consumer.

(d)      :  The  Consumer  Protection  Act,  2019  provides  for,  inter-alia,  simplification  of  the  adjudication process in the Consumer Commissions; filing of a complaint by a consumer in the Consumer Commission having  jurisdiction  with  respect    to  his  place  of  work/residence  irrespective  of  place  of  transaction  and place  of  business  or  residence  of  the  opposite  parties,  e-filing  and  e-payment,  video  conferencing  for hearing, deemed admissibility of complaints if admissibility is not decided within 21 days of filing; court monitored mediation to facilitate early disposal of cases; provision of product liability.

The Consumer Protection (Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions) Rules, 2020 notified under the  ibid  Act  provides  that  no  fees  is  required  for  registering  cases  in  the  District  Consumer  Disputes Redressal Commissions involving value of goods or services paid as consideration upto 5 lakhs.

Further, Section 38(7) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 prescribes that every complaint shall be disposed of as expeditiously as possible and endeavour shall be made to decide the complaint within a period of three months from the date of receipt of notice by opposite party where the complaint does not require  analysis  or  testing  of  commodities  and  within  five  months  if  it  requires  analysis  or  testing  of commodities .

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