Documented by Goa Desc Resource Centre Ph:2252660
Website: www.goadesc.org Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Press Clippings on the web: http://www.goadesc.org/mem/
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District councils for consumers mooted
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The Department of Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs will be re-constituting
its state council and also constitute for the first time, the district councils,
as per the amendment to the Consumers Protection Act, 1986.
The department has invited applications from the general public representing farmers, traders and entrepreneurs, including the NGOs, willing to be members in its state and district councils, by May 31. The applications should give brief details about the activities conducted by the applicants, if any, in the field of consumer awareness.
The director of the department, Mr N B Narvekar, addressing a press conference today, said that the Consumer Protection Act 1986 requires every state government to constitute a State Consumer Protection Council and District Consumer Protection Councils.
The purpose of these councils is to promote and protect the rights of the consumers in the state and to spread consumer awareness amongst them, he added.
Further speaking, Mr Narvekar said that the State Consumer Protection Council is constituted under the chairmanship of the local Minister for Consumer Affairs. "The departments dealing directly with the consumer services are the official members of this council," he said, pointing out that any person interested in consumer protection can become its non-official member, and presently there are 16 official and 42 non-official members in the State Consumer Protection Council.
In the newly re-constituted state-level council, there shall be three women members, six members representing farmers, traders and entrepreneurs, and ten other members having experience in the field of consumer activities and interested in consumer protection. Similarly, ten members would be nominated by the central government and there shall be as many members of the head of the departments dealing directly with consumer related services.
The district level councils are presided over by the concerned district collectors and there shall be as many members who are immediate sub-ordinate to the head of the department dealing directly with consumer related services. There shall be three women members and twelve other members interested in consumer awareness related activities and representing farmers, traders, entrepreneurs, etc.
Mr Narvekar further informed that at present there are around 520 fair price shops functional in the state. The public distribution system (PDS) has become quite ineffective due to the poor response from the people in general, he observed, adding that only 5 to 7 per cent people from the Above Poverty Line (APL) group lift their quota from the fair price shops. "The shops are mostly used for running government schemes like Antyodaya Yojana and Annapurna Yojana," he noted.
He also informed that around 15 NGOs have been registered with the Department of Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs as voluntary consumer organisations, while 4 persons are registered as individual activists. ----------------------------------------------------- The Navhind Times 15/5/04 page 3 -----------------------------------------------------
======================================= GOA DESC RESOURCE CENTRE Documentation + Education + Solidarity 11 Liberty Apts., Feira Alta, Mapusa, Goa 403 507 Tel: 2252660 mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] website: www.goadesc.org ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Working On Issues Of Development & Democracy =======================================
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