December 24: National Consumer Day 2021
The National Consumer Day is observed on December 24, every year in India. On this day, the President has given his assent to the Consumer Protection Act, 1986.
Theme of the Day
The National Consumer Day 2021 is being observed under the theme “Tackling Plastic Pollution”.
World Consumer Rights Day
The World Consumer Rights Day is observed on March 15, every year.
Consumer protection act 2019
The Consumer Protection Act 2019 was passed by Parliament, in August 2019. This act came into force in July 2020, replacing the Consumer Protection Act, 1986. The Act led to the establishment of Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) for promoting, protecting, and enforcing the rights of consumers.
Consumer Rights in India
The Consumer Protection Act provides 6 basic rights to the customers:
- Right to Safety
- Right to be Informed
- Right to Choose
- Right to be Heard
- Right to Seek redressal and
- Right to Consumer Education.
Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA)
Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) was constituted under Section 10(1) of Consumer Protection Act, 2019. It was established with the aim of protecting the rights of consumer by cracking down on unfair trade practices, and false & misleading advertisements, which are detrimental to the interests of public and consumers. CCPA is headquartered in Delhi. Its functions include:
- Conducting investigations into violations of consumer rights.
- Ordering recall of unsafe goods and services.
- Ordering discontinuance of unfair trade practices & misleading advertisements.
- Imposing penalties on manufacturers or publishers or endorsers of misleading advertisements.
Composition of CCPA
- Chief Commissioner as head,
- Two other commissioners as members. One of them will deal with matters related to goods while other will look into cases related to services.
- CCPA will also comprise of an Investigation Wing, which will be headed by a Director General.
- District Collectors will also be given the power to investigate complaints of violations of consumer rights.
Month: Current Affairs - December, 2021