STATE TIMES NEWS
NEW DELHI: Terming consumer protection as top priority of government, Minister for Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs (F,CS&CA), Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali said that there will be no compromise on safeguarding consumer rights in Jammu and 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 here on Wednesday 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 the Chief Guest while C.R Chaudhary, Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution was the Guest of Honour.
R Chandrashekhar, President of National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) and Former Secretary to Government for Information Technology presented key note address.
Representing J and K State, Chowdhary Zulfkar Ali said that consumer protection is top priority of Jammu and 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 and 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, Zulfkar 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 15th March 1962, in which he formally addressed the issue of consumer rights.
About this year’s 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 and Kashmir Government has digitized data which is bringing new revolution in the working of system. He said that his department has 100 per cent digitised 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 and K Governments thrust on safeguarding consumer rights, minister said that In Jammu province, 3,109 cases were booked and 3,049 compounded and a fine to the tune of Rs 37,71,850 was realised from defaulters in Jammu Province during nine months in 2016. Similarly they booked 1,997 erring traders in Kashmir and a penal sum of Rs: 16,30,400 was slapped on the defaulters in Valley. He maintained that Consumer Helpline Toll Free Numbers have already been started and people are responding to these numbers. He added that State Consumer Protection Council has been strengthened while District Consumer Forums have been constituted to safeguard the interests of the consumers in Jammu and Kashmir.
