State heads should ensure that BIS certification is enforced on required products for consumer safety, said Rohit Kumar Singh, Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs (DoCA), in Chandigarh.

The Secretary encouraged consumers to use helpline — NCH 1915 — and mentioned that one-third of pending cases involved insurance companies and real estate during the workshop, titled “Consumer Protection in the Northern States”, according to a statement released by the ministry of the consumer affairs, food and public distribution on Monday. The secretary discussed the Time Dissemination Project by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in collaboration with National Physical Laboratory of India (NPL) to reduce India’s reliance on Western countries for time accuracy, during a workshop organised by the DoCA in collaboration with Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department of Chandigarh.

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The one-day event is aimed to address the critical issues faced by consumers in the market, such as misleading advertisements, product liability and the role of consumer commissions in proper redressal.

The secretary also underlined the role of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) as the National Standards Body of India in developing Indian Standards and implementing voluntary and mandatory standards, such as Quality Control Orders. The Legal Metrology and Weights and Measures departments ensure that consumers receive accurate quantities of products as claimed by manufacturers, the ministry said.

“The department of consumer affairs plays a vital role in maintaining a balance between affordability and availability, controlling inflation in food commodities through its price monitoring division,” Singh said, urging all states to establish price collecting centres in all districts and announced the department’s intention to achieve a target of 750 price collecting centres by March 31, 2024, with financial support provided by the department.

The workshop attendees discussed various recent initiatives of the department, including the launch of BIS standard IS 1900/2022 on fake reviews, which requires e-commerce companies to adhere to these standards within their policy of generating and publishing reviews on their platforms.

The role of consumer commissions in reducing the pendency of cases was also highlighted, with Singh informing that one-third of the pending cases pertained to the insurance sector. The department is working to target the genesis of complaints by participating in Lok Adalats and engaging with insurance companies, the department of financial Services, and Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDAI).