The Nagaland Voluntary Consumer Organization (NVCO) urge the State Government to immediately implement the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 and Nagaland University to update the LL.B study course/syllabus with the new Act as the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 is being entirely replaced and no more applicable.
The responsibility for the promotion and protection of consumer rights rests with all of us and more particularly with governmental agencies. More importantly, it is high time for the government to promote the basic rights of all consumers ensuring those rights are respected and protected from market abuses and social injustices which undermine the so called ‘Consumer Rights’. However, the Government of Nagaland is yet to frame Rules & Regulations for the new Act.
While addressing a huge gathering of students and teaching faculty in the observance of ‘World Consumer Rights Day’ on 15th March, 2022 at St. Joseph’s College(A), Jakhama NVCO President Kezhokhoto Savi, Advocate, urged the state government to implement the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 as a mark of respect and achievement in celebrating World Consumer Rights Day 2022 in Nagaland. The Nagaland Voluntary Consumers’ Organization (NVCO) in its two week-long observance of World Consumer Rights Day 2022 had highlighted the new Act with a strong demand to immediately implement the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
In India, the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 is an important Act in the history of the consumer movement in the country. The Act was made to provide for the better protection and promotion of consumer rights through the establishment of Consumer Councils and quasi-judicial machinery. However, consumer markets for goods and services have undergone drastic transformation since the enactment of the Consumer Protection Act in 1986.
The modern market place contains a plethora of products and services. The emergence of global supply chains, rise in international trade and the rapid development of e-commerce have led to new delivery systems for goods and services and have provided new options and opportunities for consumers. Equally, this has rendered the consumer vulnerable to new forms of unfair trade and unethical business practices. Misleading advertisements, tele-marketing, multi-level marketing, direct selling and e-commerce pose new challenges to consumer protection and will require appropriate and swift executive interventions to prevent consumer detriment. Therefore, it has become inevitable to amend the Act to address the myriad and constantly emerging vulnerabilities of the consumers.
In view of this, the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 has replaced the Consumer Protection Act, 1986. NVCO’s serious concern is that the Government of Nagaland is yet to implement the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 which is urgently needed to allow the functions of State Commission and District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions smoothly. Since the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 is no more applicable, Nagaland University must immediately update the LL.B study course/syllabus with the new Act (Consumer Protection Act, 2019).
The Consumer Protection Act, 2019 provides for the establishment of an executive agency known as the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) to promote, protect and enforce the rights of consumers, make intervention when necessary to prevent consumer detriment arising from unfair trade practices and to initiate class action including enforcing recall, refund and return of products, etc. While approaching redressal commission/commissions, there is a provision for consumers to file complaints electronically, etc.
The State Government is empowered to establish a consumer mediation cell to be attached to each of the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions and State Commission. The State Consumer Helpline with Toll Free NO. 1800 – 345 – 3701 functions as an alternate remedy mechanism where consumers can call up to this Toll Free Number for any query related to consumers’ grievances faced daily in the market.