Chandigarh- Dec 24 : In bid to aware the consumers about their rights, the Haryana Government has taken a number of steps. The state government has set up 135 consumer clubs in government schools of seven districts of the State and a proposal to set up more such clubs in 115 government schools of six districts has been sent to the Central Government for its approval
While stating this on the occasion of the National Consumer Day, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda here on Friday told that the government has also set up a Consumer Welfare Fund with an amount of Rs 50 lakh. Mr Hooda further stated that December 24 was observed as National Consumer Day and was observed all over the country to create awareness among the people about their rights as a consumer from December 24 to December 31 every year.
The Consumer Prote3ction Act 1986 was implemented in Haryana to protect the consumers’ rights. “There is a provision in the Act to redress the grievances of the consumers in a simple way in case any defect was found in the articles purchased by them or services provided to them are found wanting. The Act has a provision to compensate for the loss suffered by the consumers, he added.
He said that District Consumer Forums had been set up in the State under Consumer Protection Act, 1986 to settle the consumers’dispute. These forums had been given rights to decide the cases involving compensation up to Rs 20 lakh. Similarly, Consumer Commission had been set up at State level, which is competent to decide the cases involving compensation from Rs 20 lakh to Rs one crore. Appeals against the decisions of District Forums could also be filed in the Commission, he added.
Mr Hooda implored the people of the State to be aware of their rights and always purchase quality goods. If the people were aware of their rights, nobody could cheat and exploit them, he added.