Contents

S.No    Page.No

1.  Introduction   1 

2.  Aim   

3.  Objectives  2 

4.  Activities of the Centre  2 

5.  Monitoring and Supervision  3 

6.  Activities of the Centre during the period July 2012– June 2013  3 

I.  Capacity Building Programme  3 

II.  Research Studies  6 

III.  Publications  8 

IV.  Stream on Consumer Protection : Law and Practice in 39th APPPA  10 

V.  E‐newsletters  10 

VI.  Website  12 

VII.  CCS on Facebook  12 

VIII.  Membership of Various Committees  12 

IX  Other Promotional Activities   13 

X  State Consumer Helpline Knowledge Resource Management Portal   13 

XI  National Helpline   16 

7.  Proposed Activities for  July 2013– June 2014    18 

8.  Outreach of the Centre for Consumer Studies  20 

9  Annexure    

1

CENTRE FOR CONSUMER STUDIES INDIAN INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Annual Report

(July 2013-June 2014)

The Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi has been working in

partnership with the Department of Consumer Affairs, GoI since 1992, in the quest

for realizing policy objectives, through training programmes, research studies,

seminars, publications and consultancy assignment. To further the mutually

beneficial relationship, the need was felt for providing permanency to the partnership

between the two organizations by way of creating a dedicated “Centre of Excellence”

for the cause of Consumers’ rights and interests’ protection and promotion. The

Institute submitted a proposal to the DCA for setting up a Centre for Consumer

Affairs at IIPA, which was considered by the CWF Standing Committee and

approved in principle.

As a follow up the Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India and

IIPA agreed to set up a Centre for Consumer Studies at IIPA for which the DCA

would provide the financial support for a period of Five Years from the date of

Agreement. The MoU was signed on July 29, 2007 by the Joint Secretary, CA on

behalf of DCA, GoI, and the Director, IIPA on behalf of the IIPA. To operationalise

the Centre the DCA through its Sanction Order No. O-11011/ 68/ 2005-CWF dated

30th March 2007 sanctioned the necessary funds to the Indian Institute of Public

Administration initially for a period of five years. The Monitoring Committee under the

Chairmanship of Secretary (CA) has further extended the period of the Centre by two

years upto June 2014.

The primary objective of the Centre is to act as a” think tank” for research and

policy related issues on consumer protection and consumer welfare.

2. Aim

The aim of the Centre is to perform, facilitate and promote better protection of

Consumers’ rights and interests with special reference to rural India.

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3. Objectives of the Centre: The objectives of the Centre are to:

conduct / facilitate in-depth action research in the area of consumer protection and consumer welfare;

organize and help other organizations in training of personnel

engaged in administration and adjudication of consumer justice in the country;

network with the other institutions/ organisations, nationally and

internationally, working for the cause of consumer rights protection;

organise seminars/ workshops/ conferences/ round tables on the contemporary issues relating to consumer protection;

sensitise trade and industry and the service providers to the

requirements of the consumers, especially to alternative and informal mechanisms to resolve their complaints and redress their grievances;

create resource centre for future research and publish books/

monographs/ occasional papers to fill up existing knowledge gap; and

provide policy inputs to the Department of Consumer Affairs from

time to time. 4. Activities of the Centre

The Centre performs the following activities:

in-depth action research in the area of consumer protection and consumer welfare with a special emphasis on rural areas;

training of personnel engaged in administration and adjudication of

consumer justice in the country and the elected representatives of the local bodies;

networking with the other institutions/ organisations, nationally and

internationally;

organise seminars/ workshops/ conferences/ round tables on the contemporary issues relating to consumer protection;

sensitize trade and industry and the service providers to the

requirements of the consumers;

create resource centre for future research;

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publish books/ monographs/ occasional papers to fill up existing

knowledge gap; and provide policy inputs to the Department of Consumer Affairs from

time to time. 5. Monitoring and Supervision

For the purpose of effective monitoring, advice and supervision of the

activities of the Centre, a Monitoring Committee has been constituted by the DCA.

The Monitoring Committee shall meet at least twice in a year and comprises of the

following: -

1. Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs - Chairperson 2. Director, IIPA - Member 3. Additional Secretary, DCA - Member 4. Joint Secretary, DCA - Member 5. Chief Controller of Accounts, DCA - Member 6. Director/Deputy Secretary (CWF) - Member 7. Co-ordinator of the Centre - Member 8. Chair Professor, In-charge of the Centre, IIPA - Member -Secretary The 7th meeting of the Monitoring Committee was held on February 20, 2014

under the Chairmanship of Shri Keshav Desiraju , Secretary, DCA.

6. Activities of the Centre during the period July 2013-June 2014

I Capacity Building Activities

To achieve the aims and objectives, the Centre organized a variety of programmes

during the period from July 2013-June 2014. During the period, the Centre organised a

total of 27 Capacity Building Programmes for various stakeholders which included

Stream in 39th APPPA. The focus of the programmes was to build the capacity of these

stakeholders to administer the Consumer Protection Act, 1986, and also to educate and

enhance consumer awareness at various levels. Capacity building initiatives during the

period included Training Programmes, Workshops, Seminars and Conferences. The

Centre also conducted research studies and brought out a number of publications and

performed other promotional activities.

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During the year the Centre organised ten training programmes for various

stakeholder which included the Presidents and Members of the District Forums;

Trainers from Universities, Colleges and NGOs; mediators; and Coordinators and

Advisors of the Helplines. Besides this 10 seminars and four workshops were

organised at various places throughout India with the objective of generating

awareness at various levels. Two mass awareness programmes were also

organised which were Poster making competition for school-children and awareness

camp at Magh Mela Allahabad which was designed for the rural masses. Keeping

this in view the Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India in

collaboration with the Centre for Consumer Studies, Indian Institute of Public

Administration, New Delhi organised a Workshop on National Consumer Policy on

December 10, 2013. More than 40 participants participated in the seminar, which

included policy-makers, consumer experts, academicians, and representatives of

VCOs / NGOs. The objective of the workshop was to provide a platform for

consultation, deliberation and discussion on the Draft National Consumer Policy with

various stakeholders in the consumer movement and to assess the inadequacies in

the Draft Policy and incorporate appropriate changes. The report of all the activities

is enclosed at Annexure I.

2013-14

1. Training Programme on Consumer Complaint Redressal and Mediation Sponsored by Consumer Coordination Council, Delhi

July 15-19, 2013 23 IIPA New Delhi

2. 81st OTP for the Presidents and Members of the Districts Consumer Forums

July 22-26, 2013 20 IIPA New Delhi

3. Seminar on Rural Market and Consumer: Issues and Challenges in collaboration with National University of Study and Research in Law, Ranchi

Aug.16-17, 2013

112 Ranchi Jharkhand

4. Inter School Competition on Consumer Awareness in collaboration with the Air Force School, Subroto Park, New Delhi

Aug. 27, 2013 123 New Delhi

5. 6th Training Programme for Coordinators and Advisors of State Consumer Helplines on Consumer Protection and Consumer Welfare

Sept. 4-6, 2013

22 IIPA New Delhi

6. Seminar on Consumer Protection and Consumer Empowerment in collaboration with IIPA Bihar Regional Branch

Sept.14-15, 2013 174 Patna Bihar

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7. Seminar on ‘Consumer Protection and Consumer

Welfare in collaboration with IIPA Local Branch Tirupattur, Vellore

Sept. 20-21, 2013

136 Vellore Tamil Nadu

8. National Workshop on Consumer Protection and Empowerment in India in collaboration with Shri Ratanlal Kanwarlal Patni, Government P.G. College, Ajmer

Oct. 25-26, 2013 232 Ajmer Rajasthan

9. One Day Seminar on Consumerism and Socio-Economic Development in India in collaboration with Swami Shukdevanand (PG) College, Mumukshu Ashram, Shahjahanpur

Nov. 9, 2013 100 Shahjahanpur U.P

10. Two Days Seminar on Consumer Protection and Consumer Welfare in collaboration with IIPA Local Branch Bareilly

Nov. 10-11, 2013

75 Bareilly Uttar Pradesh

11. Training Programme of Data Entry Operators Delhi State Consumer Helpline

Nov. 13-26, 2013 2 IIPA New Delhi

12. Two Days National Seminar on Globalization,

Market and Consumer Protection in collaboration with AURO University, Surat

Nov. 23-24, 2013

96 Surat Gujarat

13. Two day Training programme for the Co-ordinators and advisors of the Punjab State Consumer Protection and Welfare

Nov. 27-28, 2013 6 Punjab

14. Seminar on Consumer Protection and Consumer Empowerment in collaboration with Rajkot Saher Jilla Grahak Suraksha Mandal

Nov. 29- 30, 2013

247 Ahmedabad Gujarat

15. 82nd OTP for the Presidents and Members of the Districts Consumer Forums

Dec. 2-6, 2013 27 IIPA New Delhi

16. One Day Workshop on National Consumer Policy sponsored by Department of Consumer Affairs, GoI

Dec. 10, 2013 47 IIPA New Delhi

17. Two Days National Seminar on Consumerism in the Global Economy in collaboration with Ethiraj College for Women, Chennai

Dec. 12-13, 2013 102 Chennai Tamil Nadu

18. Training Programme on Legal Metrology sponsored by Department of Consumer Affairs, GoI

Dec. 18-20, 2013

21 IIPA New Delhi

19. 7th ToT for Heads and Members of VCOs/NGOs in Consumer Protection and Welfare

Jan.6-10, 2014

24 IIPA New Delhi

20. Three Days Consumer Awareness Camp at Holy Ganges Ghat, Magh Mela, Allahabad (Prayag) Uttar Pradesh

Feb. 01-03, 2014 110 Allahabad U.P.

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21. 7th Training Programme for Coordinators and

Advisors of State Consumer Helplines on Consumer Protection and Consumer Welfare

Feb. 3-5, 2014

17 IIPA New Delhi

22. 83rd OTP for the Presidents and Members of the Districts Consumer Forums, Uttar Pradesh

Feb.17-21, 2014

26 IIPA New Delhi

23. Two Days Workshop on Consumer Protection and Consumer Welfare for Officers of State Department of Consumer Affairs

Feb. 24-25, 2014

17 IIPA New Delhi

24. Two Days Workshop on Consumer Protection and Consumer Empowerment in India in Collaboration with KIET Group of Institutions Technical University, Noida

Feb. 28- March 1, 2014

177 Noida Uttar Pradesh

25. National Seminar on Legal Protection of Consumers in a Global Economy – Recent Approaches and the Way Forward in collaboration with Faculty of Law, Banaras Hindu University

March 29-30, 2014 443 Varanasi U.P.

26. National Seminar on Consumer Protection and Empowerment at Kullu in collaboration with Govt. College of Teacher Education, Kullu

May 29-30, 2014 102 Kullu Himachal Pradesh

27. Stream on Consumer Protection in 39th APPPA Dec. 2013 9 IIPA II Research Studies

Evaluation of the “Scheme on National System for Standardization” of BIS

To evaluate the impact of various programmes/ schemes and also to build a

database the Centre conducts a number of evaluation and research studies. During

the period the faculty members and research staff of the Centre undertook an

Evaluation of the “Scheme on National System for Standardization” which was

carried out on the request of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). The evaluation of

the Scheme on the National system for Standardization under XI Plan Fund involved

evaluation of all four components has been done as per the Terms of Reference

given by the BIS which were: 1. Intensifying participation of BIS Technical

Committee Members in BIS Technical Committee Meetings; 2. Intensifying

participation of BIS Technical Committee Members in international standardization

by attending meetings, trainings, etc.; 3. Training Programmes for BIS Technical

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Committee members/ SDOs; and 4. R&D projects for establishment / revision

of Indian Standards.

The present study was an empirical research based on both primary and

secondary data. It was a blend of both descriptive and analytical methods of study.

For the purpose of the study primary data was collected through a set of

questionnaires and by way of discussions and interaction with various stakeholders

from different cities, who were associated with the scheme of “National System of

Standardization.” The secondary data comprising of records of BIS, and other

organisation, various published and unpublished reports, articles, etc. have also

been used for the purpose of the study. The survey methodology for this study was

purposive simple random sampling. From the lists of the participants of each

component of the scheme provided by BIS, from each component more than 33% of

the participants were covered. In case of component - IV out of four stakeholders,

three were approached to collect data /information related to their Research and

Development Projects by visiting the respective places (Chennai, Bengaluru,

Thiruvananthapuram and Pune).

Besides this the Preliminary work of the following three studies approved by

the Monitoring Committee in its meeting in February 2014 was also started -

1. Evaluation of the effect of Junk Food on the Health of the school children in Delhi

2. Involvement of NGOs in Anti-Tobacco Champaign

3. A Study of Consumer Satisfaction and Effectiveness of Redressal mechanism in Telecom Service

III Publications

One of the objectives of the Centre is to disseminate information on various

aspects of consumer protection and consumer welfare. To fulfil this objective the

Centre is annually bringing out a number of books, monographs and other material

to educate the masses. Buring this period three monographs were published. Four

books have been sent for printing are under process. Besides this, the faculty and

staff of the Centre presented and published papers on issues pertaining to consume

protection.

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A. Monographs

1. Brand Imitation, Counterfeiting and Consumers by D.Y Chacharkar

2. Misleading Advertisement and Consumer (Revised and Enlarged Edition) by Pushpa Girimaji

3. Doctor Patient Relation- Care, Consent & Negligence by Sapna Chadah

B. Books

Following Books are in print

1. Globalisation, Market and the Rural Consumers, Ed. Suresh Misra & Sapna Chadah (in press)

2. Empowering Rural Consumers: Issues and Concerns, Ed. Suresh Misra & Mamta Pathania (in press)

3. Sustainable Consumption, Climate Change and Consumers

4. Sustainable Lifestyle -Towards a Better Future

C. Papers / Articles

1. Suresh Misra & Virendra Kr Mishra “Udarikaran Ke Daur mein Samaveshi Vikas Ke Sapne” Lok Prashasan Vol. 5, No. 2, Special Issue on ‘SAmajik Nyaya Avam Samaveshi Vikas’

2. Mamta Pathania “Ethics, Society and Good Governance-Need for Systemic Reforms” in IJPA Special Issue on Ethical Governance and Society, July –Sept. 2013, Vol. LIX No.3, IIPA, New Delhi.

3. Suresh Misra and Mamta Pathania “Changing Food Habits of Consumers in the Era of Globalization”, in Geetanjali Dash (Ed) Globalization and Consumer Rights-Emerging Dimensions, Abhijeet Publications, New Dehi, 2013

4. Suresh Misra & Sapna Chadah; “Consumer Empowerment: Challenges and Strategies” in Seminar Proceedings of National Seminar on Globalization, Market and Consumer Protection, AURO University, Surat, Gujarat

5. Pankaj Kr Singh presented Paper on “Menace of Food Adulteration in India” in Two days Seminar on Consumer Protection and Consumer Welfare at Bareilly on November 11, 2013

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6. Virendra Kr Mishra presented Paper on “Unfair Trade Practices and Rural Consumers” in Two days Seminar on Consumer Protection and Consumer Welfare at Bareilly on November 11, 2013

7. Sapna Chadah presented Paper on “Consumer Empowerment: Challenges and Strategies” in National Seminar on “Globalization, Market and Consumer Protection”, AURO University, Surat, Gujarat on November 23, 2013

8. Mamta Pathania & Amit Kr Singh presented paper on “Development of

Scheduled Castes of Bihar: All the Way through Education” in National Seminar on Social Justice Concept, Strategies and Challenges, 2013, IIPA, New Delhi.

9. Sapna Chadah presented Paper on “Consumer Satisfaction regarding Quality of Products in Super Marts of NCR: An Evaluative Study” at National Seminar on “Legal Protection of Consumers in a Global Economy-Recent Approaches and the Way Forward” on March 29, 2014 at Faculty of Law, BHU, Varanasi

D. Awareness Material

Consumer Awareness Calendar – 2014 (based on the posters prepared by school children).

New Year Greeting Card for 2014 with awareness message.

IV Stream on Consumer Protection: Law and Practice in 39th APPPA

The Stream on “Consumer Protection and Welfare:

Law, Policies and Implementation” was successfully completed in the 39th APPPA

(Advanced Professional Programme in Public Administration) a very prestigious

programme of IIPA, in the month of December 2013. Senior officials from various All

India Services, State Services and three wings of defence forces participate in the

programme. 9 officials out of a total of 43 opted for the stream. It is a full stream with

one credit and 16 sessions were devoted on various themes of consumer protection.

The programme has been received very well by the participants and all the

participants have appreciated the stream and its usefulness in daily life.

V E-newsletters

E-Newsletters for Four quarters- July- September, 2013 October-December,

2013, January-March, 2014 and April-June 2014 were prepared and uploaded on the

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website. (Annexure II) The same was also emailed to a number of people

including Members of Parliament.

VI Website

The website of the Centre www.consumereducation.in is thoroughly

updated and all latest information about the Centre’s activities is regularly uploaded

on the site. Very useful information for consumers is also uploaded. The site is very

popular among various stakeholders.

VII CCS on Facebook The Centre is now using even the social; media to reach and educate the

consumers. The centre can be accessed on the facebook through the link

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Centre-for-Consumer-Studies/180858655313172

VIII Membership of Various Committees

1. Member, Central Consumer Protection Council.

2. Member, National Mirror Committee of COPOLCO, BIS, New Delhi

3. Member, Committee on Real Estate (Regulation of Development) Bill 2011, Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (Housing Section)

4. Member, Committee on Containment of Wastage of Food grains and Ostentatious Behaviour especially during Marriages/ Parties/ Functions, DCA

5. Member, Committee on Misleading Advertisements and Cheating of Consumers through the Money Circulation Schemes, DCA

6. Member, Working Group on Management Sector under XI Plan Project Human Resource Development Capacity Building of Educational Institutions under Quality Infrastructure for Consumer Protection, BIS

7. Member, Multi Media Advisory Committee for creating Consumer Awareness, DCA

8. Member, Script Committee for the consideration of Scripts for audio-video and print creatives on Consume Awareness, DCA

9. Member, Appraisal Mission for New Indo German Cooperation Project on Consumer Policy and Consumer Protection, DCA

10. Member, Implementation Committee Indo German Bilateral Project DoCA-GIZ Project “Consumer Protection and Sustainable Consumption in India”

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11. Member, Empowered Committee for Creating Awareness, DCA, GoI

12. Member, Standing Committee to harmonize Labeling requirements on Packaged Commodity under Different Laws

13. Member, Committee to Streamline the System of Assessment of Projects and Release of Funds under Consumer Welfare Fund, DCA, GoI

14. Member, Selection Committee for Empanelment of Creative Agencies for Consumer Awareness, DCA, GoI

15. Member, Executive Committee to Monitor the Progress of the Project sanctioned to FICCI for setting up FICCI Alliance for Consumer-Care, DCA, GoI

IX Other Promotional Activities

Dr. Mamta Pathania participated in programme “Legal Point” on Lok Sabha TV on 8th July,2013

Lecture on Consumer Protection :Law and Awareness by Dr. Sapna Chadah in Workshop on Security Issues at Rajya Sabha Secretariat on July 8, 2013

Lecture on “Consumer Rights Awareness” in Workshop on Capacity Building for the NGOs by Dr. Mamta Pathania on 8th August,2013 at IIPA, New Delhi.

Lecture on “Consumer Awareness in India” by Dr. Mamta Pathania in Know-India Programme supported by Ministry Of Overseas Indian Affairs at IIPA, New Delhi on 29th August, 2013.

Lecture on “Consumer Protection: Education and Awareness” by Dr. Mamta Pathania in the Training Programme on Higher Administration and Legal Matters for EE (Civil & Elect.) CPWD at IIPA, New Delhi on 24th September,2013

Attended National Workshop on “Consumers as Stakeholders in Responsible Business” at Constitution Club, New Delhi on October 18, 2013.

Session on “Consumer Protection Act and Consumer Care” by Dr. Mamta Pathania in Training Programme for State Housing Officials at HIPA, Gurgaon in January 2014

X State Consumer Helpline Knowledge Resource Management Portal (SCHKRMP)

IIPA has been recognised as the Nodal Agency for setting up the centralized

Knowledge Resource Management Portal. The basic objective of Knowledge

Resource Management Portal is to coordinate and monitor the activities of State

Consumer Helplines (SCH), provide solutions and advisory services to these

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Helplines, maintain knowledge and database, build capacity of the SCHs’ personnel

and provide for their integration and convergence. The purpose of monitoring is to

ensure that all activities of the project are implemented; the IT platform is properly

used; complaints are handled appropriately; campaign themes are aligned to the

overall objectives; and SCHs are equipped with necessary resources. For this the

Knowledge Resource Management Portal works in close coordination with the

various state governments and other stakeholders.

The SCHKRMP is fully functional and a number of activities are now being

undertaken by portal staff. The Portal staff held meetings and consultations with the

officials of Government of Haryana, Bihar, Puducherry in connection with setting up

of State Consumer Helpline there. This was part of handholding exercise undertaken

under the portal for the states that are in the process of starting the Helplines. The

portal is also conducting the Training of the Coordinators and Advisors of the State.

Consumer Helplines in the states. For the Coordinators and Advisiors of State

Consumer Helplines four capacity building programmes were organized-6th Training

Programme for Coordinators and Advisors of State Consumer Helplines on

Consumer Protection and Consumer Welfare on September 4-6, 2013; Three Day

Training Programme for the Co-ordinators and Advisors of Delhi State Consumer

Helpline on November 23-26, 2013; Two Day Training programme for the Co-

ordinators and advisors of the Punjab State Consumer Helpline on November 27-28,

2013 and 7th Training Programme for Coordinators and Advisors of State Consumer

Helplines on Consumer Protection and Consumer Welfare on February 3-5, 2013 at

IIPA, New Delhi. More such training, capacity building and awareness activities are

being planned for the near future. Besides this, the Portal is also engaged in

advocacy activities with various service providers for redressal of consumer

grievances.

The portal staff is also engaged in preparing the Manuals and Frequently Asked

Questions to be used by the coordinators and advisors at the SCHs in the states.

The compilation and updating of FoPs is also underway. Book tags have also been

developed in a number of areas which include Airlines, Insurance, Banking and

Housing sectors. The portal is regularly bringing out a quarterly e-newsletter which

provides information on the activities of the Portal and other useful information.

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During the period the Portal has brought out e-newsletter for the period July-

September, 2013 and October-December, 2013; January-March, 2014 and April-

June 2014. Besides this, an e-Consumer Bulletin has also been introduced which

provides the information on the various advocacy initiatives undertaken by the Portal

and information as to how the consumers can get their problems redressed. 12 such

bulletins have been brought out during the period of July 2013-June 2014.

(Annexure III)

XI National Consumer Helpline

National Consumer Helpline, a flagship project of the Department of Consumer

Affairs, Govt of India was, for the last nine years, operating from the premises of the

Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi. With effect from April 2014, under a

new MOU with Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), the project was

relocated from the University of Delhi to its bright and spacious new premises on the

ground floor Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), New Delhi building under

the umbrella of Centre for Consumer Studies (CCS).

On 9th May, 2014, Shri Keshav Desiraju, Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs

inaugurated the NCH operations. Along with him, the other delegates Shri

Gurucharan, Additional Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs; Smt.

Chandralekha Malviya, Sr. Economic Advisor; Shri Manoj Kr. Parida, Joint

Secretary (CA)Mr. and Shri GN Singh, Director, DCA were also present. The

Secretary was welcomed warmly with a bouquet by Mr. T Chatterjee, Director IIPA

along with Prof. Suresh Misra, Chair Professor, Centre for Consumer Studies. Ms.

Deepika Sur, Project Manager explained in detail the working of the helpline The

National Consumer Helpline.

The Project recognizes the need of consumers for a Telephone Helpline to deal with

multitude of problems arising in their day-to-day dealings with business and service

providers. NCH provides a National Toll Free No-1800-11-4000. SMS can also be

sent to +918130009809 (charges apply) mentioning the name and city. A consumer

can call to seek information, advice or guidance for his queries and complaints.

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National Consumer Helpline supports consumers by guiding consumers in finding

solutions to problems related to Products & Services; Providing information related to

Companies and Regulatory Authorities; Facilitating consumers in filing complaints

against defaulting Service Providers; Empowering consumers to use available

Consumer Grievances Redressal Mechanisms, Educating Consumers about their

Rights and Responsibilities.

NCH VISION: "A Nation of awakened, empowered and responsible consumers and

socially and legally responsible Corporations."

NCH MISSION: "To provide telephonic advice, information and guidance to empower

Indian consumers and persuade businesses to reorient their policy and management

systems to address consumer concerns and grievances adopting world class

standards."

During the period of May and June the Helpline receive more than 10,000 calls per

month. Besides this complaints are also dealt under the Convergence Programme

with the companies.

The call statistics for the two months of May and June 2014 are as follows:

Month Calls * May 2014

10964 June 2014

10229 * Complaints registered online at NCH Website were 2119 in April 2014 included The complaints sent and response from ‘Convergence’ companies is as follows:

Months Total Complaints

Sent Responses

received May 2014 1946 1346 ( 69%) June 2014 1906 1391( 73%)

To ensure the quality of service delivery continuous training of the counselors is

done every day for 30 minutes in the morning wherein they are exposed to the latest

developments in various sector to equip them to answer the queries of the

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consumers in a better manner. Besides this NCH is also engaged in education and

awareness activities and is disseminating information through various mediums and

platforms. It also compiles and analyzes information in various sectors in the form of

FAQs and FOPs. NCH also brings out e-newsletter ‘Consumer Velocity’ monthly

providing an overview of the activities of the Helpline and other useful information for

the consumer.

7. Activities proposed for the Next Year (July 2014- June 2015)

1. Two Days Workshop on Consumer Protection and Consumer Welfare in collaboration with IIPA J&K Regional Branch.

2. 3rd Training Programme for Coordinators of Consumer Clubs on Consumer

Protection and Consumer Welfare. 3. 84th OTP for the Presidents and Members of the Districts Consumer Forums.

4. National Seminar on Consumer Protection & Consumer Welfare' in collaboration

with Hemchandracharya North Gujarat University, Patan, Gujarat. 5. Training Programme on Consumer Welfare and Consumer Protection SIRD

Chhattisgarh. 6. 17th Training of Trainers Programme for the Faculty Members of training

Institutions on Consumer Protection and Consumer Welfare.

7. National Workshop on Consumer Protection and Welfare in India in collaboration with Department of Public Administration, Swami Vivekanand Govt. College Ghumarwain, Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh).

8. 2nd Training Programme on Consumer Complaint Redressal and Mediation

sponsored by Consumer Coordination Council, Delhi.

9. 85th OTP for the Presidents and Members of the Districts Consumer Forums.

10. Inter School Competition on Consumer Awareness in collaboration with The Air Force School, New Delhi.

11. 8th Training Programme for Coordinators and Advisors of State Consumer

Helplines on Consumer Protection and Consumer Welfare.

12. Two Day Seminar on Consumerism and Protection Consumer Welfare –

Challenges in the Contexts of Market Driver Economy in India for the Govt. Officials and NGO’s Puducherry / Karaikal (one of the Rural Region) in collaboration with IIPA Puducherry Local Branch.

13. 86th OTP for the Presidents and Members of the Districts Consumer Forums.

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14. 8th Training of Trainers for Heads and Members of VCOs/NGOs in Consumer

Protection and Welfare.

15. 9th Training Programme for Coordinators and Advisors of State Consumer

Helplines on Consumer Protection and Consumer Welfare. 16. 87th OTP for the Presidents and Members of the Districts Consumer Forums.

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