A three day Capacity Building Programme for Presidents & Members of Consumer Commissions of Delhi & Haryana is being organised at NLU Delhi (26-28 June 2023) under the aegis of Dept of Consumer Affairs,GOI. The inaugural session was graced by the presence of Chief Guest, Shri Rohit Kumar Singh, Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India, Guest of Honour, Hon’ble Mr. Justice Paramjeet Singh Dhaliwal, Former Judge Punjab & Haryana High Court, Prof. (Dr.) G.S. Bajpai, Vice Chancellor, NLU Delhi & Prof. (Dr.) Harpreet Kaur, Registrar, NLU Delhi. The Chief Guest, Shri Rohit Kumar Singh, in his inaugural address, talked about the increasing role of Dept. of Consumer Affairs, especially in the light of the increasing dependence on ecommerce portals and the growing consumerism. He advocated for a continual dialogue and collaboration between the policymakers and the academia and the need to work in tandem in order for the reforms in law & policy. He reflected on the upcoming challenges to consumers and thereby consumer commission officials and members and emphasized the need for such capacity building programmes to upskill and upgrade officials. He highlighted the role of the Department of Consumer Affairs and said that the department has four major focus areas:
1) Developing Consumer Protection Framework, and developing safety provisions and how the Ministry has made significant strides in using technology to improve consumer safety, such as using AI to develop case briefs and how companies can be put directly in touch with consumers through the use of helplines.
2) Product Quality Assurance, through the provision of quality products which match up to the standards of the Bureau of Indian Standards.
3) Quantity Assurance and the use of the provisions for Legal Metrology Act, 2009 to establish and enforce appropriate and accurate standards of weights and measures.
4) The aim of making commodities more affordable and available to consumers.
He apprised the gathering with the new initiatives taken by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs for easing the grievance redressal mechanism including the proposal of mediation fee from the Consumer Welfare Fund (which was earlier to be paid by the parties) and providing E-filing with the help of an online app and streamlining the National Consumer Helpline Mechanism. The Ministry has come up with various frameworks in various fields like consumer right to repair, regulation of fake reviews etc. He also encouraged all to participate in the consumer movement as every person is a consumer.
Professor (Dr.) Bajpai, in his welcome address, talked about NLU Delhi’s constant engagement with policymakers, police officers, regulators, civil servants, government officials etc. through executive development, capacity building and continuing education programmes. He reflected on the important role played by NLU Delhi and its diverse Research Centres in the shaping and implementation of government policy. He also emphasized the importance of the University space in imparting and creating knowledge and facilitating the free flow of thoughts and ideas.
Following this, the Guest of Honour, Justice Dhaliwal, Former Judge, Punjab and Haryana High Court, also addressed the gathering and the session came to a close with a Vote of Thanks delivered by Professor Harpreet Kaur, Registrar, NLU Delhi. The programme is being attended by more than 35 presiding officers, members and staff from the registry of Consumer Commissions of Delhi and Haryana. The programme is being coordinated by Dr. Sushila, Associate Professor, NLU Delhi.
We are grateful to our esteemed speaker Shri Rohit Kumar Singh, Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India for sparing time for gracing the occasion with his benign presence and delivering the inaugural address which set the tone & tenor of the programme.