In the ‘Right to Repair’ portal, manufacturers share product detail manuals with their customers, allowing them to be repaired themselves by a third party rather than relying on the original manufacturer.
Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal launched a number of new initiatives including the right to repair portal and NTH mobile apps and opened the new facility of the National Consumer Helpline Center in Delhi on Saturday.
What is the “Right to Repair” Portal?
In the ‘Right to Repair’ portal, manufacturers share product detail manuals with their customers, allowing them to be repaired themselves by a third party rather than relying on the original manufacturer. Cell phones, electronics, consumer durables, automobiles and agricultural machinery are the first to be targeted.
“The initial framework of right to repair covers mobile phones/tablets, consumer durables, electronics, automobiles and agricultural machinery,” the website message reads.
how to use it
step 1: Visit this site – https://www.righttorepairindia.in/home
Step 2: Enter the brand or product name in the space above or scroll down to find the names of various products such as mobile phones, audios, microwave ovens and more. Click the type of product to repair. (Or you can search for products by brand.)
Step 3: On the left you will find the “Find Consumer Brands” section. Enter subcategories and subgroups. Click Search.
Here you can find all customer service details for the brand, including product manuals.
Handling of cases before the Consumer Commission
Speaking on the occasion of National Consumer Day on the theme ‘Effective disposition of cases at the Consumer Commission’, unions minister Piyush Goyal said the consumer commission had seen more pending cases in the past six months. He praised the case for disposal and expressed confidence in closing the backlog. all over the country.
“In a short period of six months, we have doubled the number of pending cases processed.[Between July and November of this year]approximately 90,000 pending cases have been processed,” he said. He said. Approximately 38,000 pending lawsuits were settled by consumer courts in the prior-year period.
Goyal said the processing of pending cases has increased and the backlog will clear in the coming days. “Consumer empowerment will become the most important feature of developed India and will be required to keep the consumer at the center of all initiatives,” he said.
Goyal added that the ministry is working with convergence, capacity building and climate change in mind, which the prime minister has articulated to make life easier for consumers and promote ease of doing business. Stated.
He emphasized that 3T’s technology, training and transparency help raise consumer awareness and improve consumer service.
Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Sadvi Niranjan Jyothi said the decline in pending consumer lawsuits was a good sign and consumers were confident they would get justice.
Under consumer protection laws, complaints must be processed within 90 days of filing, or 150 days if expert evidence is required.
NCDRC President RK Agrawal said, “No one expects the case to be decided overnight. However, the time it takes to actually dispose of the case has far exceeded its expected lifespan, and the Consumer Commission Difficulties arise when questions arise about the effectiveness and efficiency of the .”
Where the law mandates expedited handling of cases, delays in deciding cases by several years always put a “stigma” on the object for which the commission was established by the 1986 law, he said, requiring investigation. added that there is reason for the delay.
According to Agrawal, the average complaint handling rate at consumer commissions was 89%. As of December 16th, there are still 6.24 million cases outstanding since the Consumer Fees launch.
This “makes it clear that the Consumer Commission has failed to meet consumer expectations and is under serious strain to actually achieve the objectives for which it was enacted.
Agrawal also said the ongoing National Consumer Commission litigation was not impressive as there were 22,896 cases pending as of December 16.
The COVID-19 pandemic, increased cases due to increased consumer awareness, dysfunctional consumer commissions, lack of infrastructure, lack of manpower and funding, unnecessary adjournments, and the extent of multiple appeals, etc. That’s part of the reason behind the huge backlog of cases. He said.
However, Agrawal said the backlog cannot be wiped out without additional force, especially when lawsuit filings may increase and not decrease over the next few years. Any time it exceeds 4,000, the backlog must be cleared as per the legal mandate to install additional benches,” he suggested.
He said state governments must act well in advance to fill vacancies for president and legislators, and maintain panels of candidates to fill future vacancies to avoid delays in appointments. said that there is
Among other things, he also proposes clubbing of similar or related matters, gives consumer commissions at least limited financial autonomy, reduces unnecessary adjournments, follows the principle of natural justice, and makes decisions by summary judgment. made a ruling.
Meanwhile, Consumer Affairs Minister U Rohit Kumar Singh said the ministry held special drives ‘Lok Adalat’ and ‘Grahak Madhyastata Samadhan’ to resolve pending cases and such initiatives will continue. said.
Regarding future challenges faced by consumers due to technological advances, Singh said that the metaverse, the dark patterns of advertising, and ads banned on social media will be a major challenge for the sector to protect and secure consumer interests. are some aspects that need to be analyzed in the regulatory situation.
There are 673 consumer commissions in the country.
(with input from PTI)
