The Parliament on August 6 approved the Consumer Protection Bill, 2019, which aims to protect the rights of consumers by establishing authorities for timely and effective administration and settlement of consumers’ dispute. The bill was passed by the lower house Lok Sabha on July 30 and was passed by Rajya Sabha on August 6 through a voice vote.

The bill will replace the more than three decades old Consumer Protection Act, 1986, accoding to an official release.

Indian minister of consumer affairs, food and public distribution Ramvilas Paswan told parliament that the new legislation would ease the overall process of consumer grievance redressal.

It will provide a better mechanism to dispose of consumer complaints in a speedy manner and will help in the disposal of large number of pending cases in consumer courts across the nation, he said.

The bill proposes setting up of a Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) to promote, protect and enforce the rights of consumers as a class. The CCPA would make interventions to prevent consumer detriment arising from unfair trade practices. The agency can also initiate class action, including enforcing recall, refund and return of products.

The Bill also envisages simplified dispute resolution process, has provision for mediation and e-filing of cases. The consumer will be able to file cases in the nearest commission under the jurisdiction of which he resides.

For the first time there will be an exclusive law dealing with product liability. A manufacturer or product service provider or product seller will now be responsible to compensate for injury or damage caused by defective product or deficiency in services.

Additional swift executive remedies are proposed in the bill through CCPA. There are provisions for deterrent punishment to check misleading advertisements and adulteration of products. (DS)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk – India

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