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The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted six weeks time to several states and Union Territories to file their responses on a plea which sought to declare that consumers have a "right to know" about the quality, purity and certification of products, besides the details of distributors and sellers. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta was hearing a petition which said "right to know" was crucial for consumers to make informed choices and to protect themselves from unfair or restrictive trade practices and unscrupulous exploitation. In July last year, the apex court had agreed to hear the plea and sought responses from the Centre, various states and UTs and others. During the hearing on Wednesday, petitioner Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay told the bench that so far, he has received responses from only few states, including Haryana, Punjab, Bihar, Assam and the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. "We grant six weeks time to the respondents who have not filed responses to
The Consumer Affairs Ministry is planning to develop machine-readable, SMART standards using artificial intelligence tools to reduce compliance burden on industry, a senior official said on Thursday. Machine-readable standards translate regulatory requirements into structured digital rules that computer systems can process directly, enabling automatic compliance verification without manual intervention. SMART (Standard Machine Accessible, Readable and Transferable) formats go a step further by being dynamic, constantly updated and integrated into software and manufacturing lifecycles. Addressing a FICCI-organised event here, Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare said the department was looking at ways to leverage emerging technologies, particularly AI, to modernise the country's standards ecosystem. "We also understand that the emerging technologies which are coming up in a big way, especially the AI, it may be creating a lot of disruption, and it could be creating more challenges
By 2030, Gen Z will comprise 27 per cent of India's population and will command USD 1.3 trillion in consumption, reshaping consumer markets with a focus on experiences, sustainability and digital convenience, according to a report by Redseer Strategy Consultants. The report, titled "Gen Z: Defining Trends, Influencing Spends," analyses how this demographic, born between 1997 and 2012, is prioritising value-driven choices. "Gen Z will occupy a greater share of the population, and command USD 1.3 trillion in consumption by 2030. This generation shuns labels, valuing inclusivity, self-expression and authenticity. Through this phase of self-discovery, they prioritise aesthetics and new experiences -- all of which reflect in their behaviour as consumers," the report noted. Gen Z's emphasis on aesthetics is evident in their engagement with the beauty and personal care (BPC) sector. By 2030, this group is projected to account for nearly USD 19 billion share of India's BPC market. One in t