LS starts discussion on consumer protection bill

Lok Sabha on Tuesday began discussion on the consumer protection bill that seeks to establish the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) to protect and enforce consumer rights.

Amid din in the House, Union ministers Ram Vilas Paswan and then his junior Danve Raosaheb Dadarao moved the bill for consideration and passage.

Dadarao, the Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, said the CCPA would be set up.

The CCPA would be an executive agency to promote, protect and enforce rights of consumers and 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.

"Currently, the task of prevention of or acting against unfair trade practices is not vested in any authority.

"This has been provided for in a manner that the role envisaged for CCPA complements that of sector regulators and duplication, overlap or potential conflict is avoided," as per Statement of Objects and Reasons of the bill, which was introduced by Paswan on July 8.

Opposing the Bill, Congress member M K Vishnu Prasad said the bill would curb the freedom of consumers and trample on their rights.

"The real problems of consumers must be heard," he said, adding the government must bring a comprehensive bill in this regard.

Prasad alleged that the government has been passing bills without sending to the standing committee.

DMK member K Veeraswamy said the bill provides for feudal rule, not federal rule and it will take away consumer rights.

He said the government has been treating the opposition as enemy parties and not as opposition.

"You want all powers with the central government and not with the states," he said.

Pratima Mondal of Trinamool Congress claimed that the intention of the bill is to encroach upon powers of the state.

"Consumer protection is a sensitive matter and it should be dealt with caution," she said.

Supporting the bill, Chandreswar Prasad of the JD-U described the bill as "very significant" as it will protect the rights of consumers.

This is a non-controversial bill which will ensure welfare of the consumers, he said.

Prasad said a consumer can lodge a complaint even from home without taking help of lawyers.

Supporting the bill, BJD member Ramesh Chandra Majhi said the bill will ensure protection of consumers rights.

Majhi, however, sought clarifications on a few issues including composition of district consumer forums and how to dispose off long list of pending consumer cases across the country.

BSP member Girish Chandra demanded that provisions should be made in the bill to make district consumer forum heads accountable.

Chandra also spoke about prevalence of adulterated goods in the market and protection of rights of electricity consumers.

Congress member Saptagiri Ulaka demanded that the bill be sent to the standing committee for proper scrutiny.

Ulaka said the powers given to the central government in the bill should be distributed to states for protection of consumer rights.

Ulaka also claimed that the provision of mediation in the bill will lead to corruption.

BJP member Rajendra Agarwal said the bill is a comprehensive one and would be a milestone in protecting rights of consumers.

In case of misleading advertisements, TRS member Ranjith Reddy said along with manufacturers and service providers, celebrities who endorse such advertisements should be brought under this bill.

There should also be provisions regarding damaged goods as well as those pertaining to Maximum Retail Price (MRP), he added.

Among other provisions, the bill has provisions for product liability action on account of harm caused to consumers due to a defective products or by deficiency in services.

The bill -- which would replace the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 -- proposes setting up of the Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission and forums at the District, State and National levels for adjudicating consumer complaints.

The Consumer Protection Bill, 2018, was introduced in Lok Sabha in January 2018 and was passed by the House the same year in December.

The bill, pending in Rajya Sabha, got lapsed after Lok Sabha dissolved. Hence, the government has brought in the new consumer protection bill.