Consumer Info Centres Planned In All Districts

The government proposes to set up consumer information centres in all districts in the current financial year to disseminate information on official schemes and procedures for obtaining clearances and licences, besides the rights of the consumers.

The centres would be operated by the voluntary organisations with financial assistance from the consumer welfare fund set up by the government. Organisations like the Rotary Club would also be involved in this programme.

Computerised information module would be supplied by the National Informatic Centre (NIC) of the government.

The scheme prepared by the consumer affairs department of the civil supplies ministry envisage these centres to function as a library, resource centre, guidance bureau as also testing laboratories for detecting adulteration of food stuff.

The move is being viewed by consumer activists as a step towards achieving the ultimate goal of providing people with the right to information. The Central Consumer Protection Council, set up under the Consumer Protection Act of 1986, has been working to protect the consumers right to be informed.

Considerable information has already been gathered by the NIC under its programme called GISTNIC. Though this information is available at the offices of all district collectors, not many people know about its existence or have access to it.

The government has now asked the NIC to include public service also in the GISNIC and make it available to the proposed consumer information centres. Thus, information relating to various official schemes and the procedures for obtaining various benefits, clearances, permission, licences, etc, would be included in the GISNIC.

Voluntary organisations and consumer bodies are proposed to be provided financial assistance from the Consumer Welfare Fund to set up these centres.

The assistance will cover the minimum capital expenditure necessary to set up the centres. The running expenditure will also be borne by the government for a limited period of three to five years on a tapering scale.

The concerned organisations, however, would have to arrange for the premises to locate the centres as the official assistance does not provide for rent.

These centres would function also as guidance bureaus on consumer protection issues, including ways and means of getting grievances redressed. Persons, especially retired government officials, well versed in law, administration, tax matters, etc, would be encouraged to volunteer to provide specialised guidance at these centres on specified days.

These centres would also have facilities for conducting simple tests to detect common adulterants in foods.

The expenditure involved in setting up and operating such testing facilities is believed to be quite meager.