Press Information Bureau

2024 Theme: Fair and responsible AI for consumers

“National Consumer Helpline 2.0 with new technologies will address consumer grievance in a better way”

 

World Consumer Rights Day is celebrated on the 15th of March every year to raise global

awareness about consumer rights and needs. The day is an opportunity to promote the basic rights of all consumers and encourage those rights to be respected and protected.

World Consumer Rights Day, first observed in 1983, has become a key event for promoting consumer awareness. This date was chosen to commemorate President John F. Kennedy's address to the US Congress on March 15, 1962, where he became the first world leader to formally recognize consumer rights.

This year, the theme of World Consumer Rights Day is “Fair and Responsible AI for Consumers”. This year's theme highlights concerns like misinformation, privacy violations, and discriminatory practices, as well as how AI-driven platforms can spread false information and perpetuate biases. It also underscores a key area for future consumer safeguards. While this is a global conversation, India is already taking significant steps to empower its citizens in the digital age.

India: Celebrating World Consumer Rights Day

On World Consumer Rights Day, the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Shri Piyush Goyal, digitally inaugurated the “Integrated Transmission Line Equipment testing facility” at NTH, Jaipur.

Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the National Standards Body of India, Ministry of Consumer Affairs Food and Public Distribution, Government of India is celebrating World Consumer Rights Day as ‘Manak Mahotsav’ today all over India.

 

On the occasion of World Consumer Rights Day 2024, BIS Madurai organized day-long Programmes (DLP) and Youth to Youth Connect Campaigns (Y2YC) in various Colleges and Schools in different districts of Tamil Nadu since 12.03.2024. On 14.03.2024, the day-long Programme was conducted in Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar College, Tenkasi.

On World Consumer Rights Day 2024, Department of Consumer Affairs is also

 

• Launching “The Consumer Journey” Books.
• Launching CCPA website for seamless redressal of violation of consumers rights as class.
• Felicitating the winners of Dr B.R. Ambedkar, Government Law College, Pondicherry University Moot Court Competition.
• Granting the first certificate by India as an OIML certification agencies.
• Releasing the Report and Documentary on Consumer Protection and Legal Metrology in Ancient India prepared by DoCA in collaboration with SRCC, Delhi.

National Consumer Day

India, besides World Consumer Rights Day, observes the National Consumer Day on 24 December every year. On this day the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 had received the assent of the president. The enactment of this Act is considered a historic milestone in the consumer movement in the country. In 2023, The Department of Consumer Affairs celebrated National Consumer Day in New Delhi with a focus on leveraging technology for consumer protection and grievance redressal.

The Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Shri Piyush Goyal, in his inaugural address highlighted the fact that the launch of the e-Jagriti portal, VC facility for NCDRC, drone testing in NTH, National Consumer Helpline 2.0 in 17 languages, and a 13-fold increase in calls exemplify the Indian government’s efforts to build consumer trust. New Quality Control Orders (QCOs) reflect positively on the quality of goods in the market.

India's Positive Strides in Consumer Protection:

Consumer Empowerment through Digital means: Recognizing the importance of digital access for consumer empowerment, the Indian government has launched a suite of digital initiatives. These include the e-Jagriti portal for dispute resolution and grievance redressal, virtual court facilities for the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) to expedite cases, and drone testing in National Testing Houses (NTH) to streamline product quality checks. These innovative solutions are saving consumers time and simplifying the grievance redressal process in the digital age.

Promoting Consumer Awareness: Department of Consumer Affairs campaigns raise awareness about consumer rights and responsible digital behaviour. Initiatives like the Jago Grahak Jago campaign encourage consumers to be informed and assertive.

Strengthening Grievance Redressal Mechanisms: The Consumer Protection Act, of 2019, established Consumer Protection Authorities for swift grievance redressal. Online dispute resolution platforms offer convenient solutions for e-commerce transactions. The Consumer Protection Act, 2019 guarantees six basic rights to consumers.

References:

1. https://pib.gov.in/PressNoteDetails.aspx?NoteId=150974&ModuleId=3
2. https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1990081
3. https://www.consumersinternational.org/what-we-do/world-consumer-rights-day/fair-and-responsible-ai-for-consumers-2024/
4. https://pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=186736#:~:text=Every%20Year%2024th%20December%20is,the%20assent%20of%20the%20president.
5. https://pib.gov.in/PressNoteDetails.aspx?NoteId=150974&ModuleId=3

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Nimish Rustagi/ Himanshu Pathak/ Ritu Kataria/ Manish Tiwary

(Backgrounder ID: 151874) 0