Cabinet may approve BIS, Consumer Protection Acts amendments

The Cabinet is likely to approve the amendments to the Consumers Protection Act and the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Act, a top government official said today.
The Consumer Affairs Ministry has already moved a Cabinet note that also seeks to create a Consumer Protection Authority on the lines of the US and European countries for fast-tracking redressal of grievances.
"We expect that they (amendments) will be approved by the Cabinet Shortly," Consumer Affairs Additional Secretary G Gurucharan said at the sidelines of an event organised by the industry body CII.
He further said "we have proposed that BIS should be the National Standards Body" and the new bill provides for multiple conformity assessment programmes, it also provides for bringing more products under mandatory standards.

While, in consumer protection act the ministry has proposed two principal amendments for the first time, apart from introducing a chapter on product liability, Gurucharan added.
Talking about proper implementation of mandatory standards in the country, he said there is a need to identify strategic sectors and products and build a full eco-system for those products and also need to look at strategic geographies where India industry have export potential.
Meanwhile Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan had earlier said many changes have been proposed in the current law to protect consumer rights and simplify the judicial process to ensure speedy and inexpensive justice.

The Minister had also said that if any consumer complaint affects more than one individual, that issue will go to the proposed consumer protection authority, which will have the power to recall the product and cancel the licences.