National Consumer Day 2024: Bihar Launches PDS PARAKH App and E-Office for Transparency in Consumer Protection

Today on 24.12.2024, the state level program was launched on the occasion of National Consumer Day, 2024 by the Honorable Minister, Food and Consumer Protection Department, Smt. Leshi Singh at the Convention Bhawan, Patna.

On this occasion, the Honorable Minister released the Consumer Awareness Brochure and the Civil List Booklet of Supply Officers. The Honorable Minister also launched the PDS PARAKH app created for inspection of Public Distribution System shops.

With the launch of the PDS PARAKH app, the Bihar government has taken an important step towards Digital Bihar. This app has been created with the aim of making the public distribution inspection system more strong and effective.

This will facilitate the officials to inspect the public distribution system shops and better monitoring of the feedback of the beneficiaries will be possible. The launch of this app will not only improve the inspection process, but will also provide quick resolution to the problems of the beneficiaries. This is an important step taken by the Food and Consumer Protection Department, which will greatly help in bringing transparency in the public distribution system.

During the program, the Honorable Minister, Food and Consumer Protection Department, Bihar, Patna inaugurated the e-office in the Bihar State Food and Civil Supplies Corporation (BSFC) Patna office. Through e-office, the work of the Bihar State Food and Civil Supplies Office will be accelerated and transparent.

During the state-level program of National Consumer Day, 2024, a short film based on consumer rights and awareness was presented through which consumers were made aware of their rights.

In this program, awareness was created about consumer rights by making a presentation to make them aware of the provisions related to the rights of consumers in the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

The Honorable Minister, Food and Consumer Protection Department, Smt. Leshi Singh, in her address at the program said that due to the efficient leadership of the Honorable Chief Minister, meaningful efforts have been made towards strictly adhering to the standards of purity, correct measurement, correct price and quality and rights and service of the trade and services related to the needs of consumers.

Keeping this in mind, District Consumer Commissions have been constituted in every district of the state to protect the interests of consumers, where any consumer deprived of his rights can file a complaint himself or through any voluntary organization or advocate for claims up to Rs 50 lakh.

The Hon'ble Minister also said that if the consumer does not get justice from the forums of District Consumer Commissions, then he can file an appeal in the State Consumer Commission functioning at the State Headquarters, Patna. Claims up to Rs 50 lakh are heard in the District Commissions and claims from Rs 50 lakh to 2 crore are heard in the State Commission and claims more than 2 crore are settled in the National Commission, New Delhi.

Also, if the price paid for purchasing goods or receiving services is up to Rs 5 lakh, then no fee is payable for filing a complaint. Consumers have been benefited by disposing of a total of 18,167 (eighteen thousand one hundred sixty six) cases in the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission and a total of 1,14,791 (one lakh four hundred ten thousand seven hundred ninety one) cases in the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission till September 2024.

The Honorable Minister welcomed the brochure prepared by the Food and Consumer Protection Department to make consumers aware and said that through this, consumers will get a lot of help in becoming aware of their rights. He also said that through the PDS PARAKH app, there will be a lot of help in inspection of Public Distribution System shops.

On this occasion, Secretary, Food and Consumer Protection Department, Dr. N. Sarwan Kumar said that to protect the interests of consumers and educate them about their rights, the Government of India implemented the Consumer Protection Act 1986 on this day i.e. 24 December 1986 in the entire country. On this occasion, National Consumer Day is organized all over the country.

Today, on the occasion of Consumer Day, it is the responsibility of all of us to make consumers as aware of their rights as possible. If there is any defect in any product or service, the consumer should first complain to the customer care. If the consumer does not get a solution from there, then the consumer should dial the toll free number 1915 and register his complaint. There is a facility to register a complaint in 17 languages here and there is a system of resolving the problem directly from the manufacturer.

Even after choosing both these options, if the problem of the consumers is not resolved, then they should register their complaint in the District Consumer Forum. For the defect in the product or service, there should be only the bill of the shop or online purchase. Customers should also be made aware that they must take the bill while purchasing the goods or service.

The consumer must keep a sample of the product in which the defect is found as evidence. Along with this, the Secretary stressed on the need to spread awareness about consumer rights in banks, insurance, electricity, coaching, apartment flats, clothes, e-commerce, home delivery etc.

The Secretary said that according to the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, a consumer is a person who buys any goods or receives services for his own use. A person who uses such goods or services with the permission of the buyer is also a consumer.

If a person buys goods for the purpose of earning his livelihood through self-employment, then he is also a consumer. To protect the interests of consumers, a District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has been constituted in every district of the state, where any consumer, deprived of his rights, can file a case for claims up to Rs 50 lakh either himself or through a voluntary organization or advocate.

Claims up to Rs 50 lakh are heard in the District Commissions and claims from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 2 crore are heard in the State Commission and claims of more than Rs 2 crore can be settled in the National Commission, New Delhi. Secretary, Food and Consumer Protection Department welcomed the release of the brochure prepared to make consumers aware, the release of the civil list booklet of the officials of the supply service such as the supply officer and the launch of the PDS PARAKH app and said that these initiatives will bring transparency as well as speed in the work of food and consumer protection.

He said that from January 01, 2025, all the inspection work of the department will be done through the PDS PARAKH app only. Welcoming the launch of e-office in Bihar State Food and Civil Supplies Corporation (BSFC), Patna office, Secretary, Food and Consumer Protection Department said that this will speed up the work and will also promote transparency in the work of the department. In today's program, Special Secretary of Food and Consumer Protection Department, Md. Nayyar Iqbal, Director of Consumer Protection Directorate, Mr. Vibhuti Ranjan Chaudhary, Additional Secretary of Food and Consumer Protection Department, Mr. Upendra Kumar, Joint Secretary, Mr. Ravindra Kumar, Special Officer, Mr. Vinod Kumar Tiwari, Special Officer, Ms. Srishti Priya, Special Division Officer, Patna, Mr. Manaranjan Kumar, Chief General Manager of Bihar State Food and Civil Supplies Corporation, Mr. Mrityunjay Kumar, Chief General Manager, Mr. Raman Kumar Sinha, Member of State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Md. Shamim Akhtar, representative of Bihar Industries Association, representative of FICCI and Director of Bureau of Indian Standards, Mr. S.K. Gupta and representatives of Agriculture Department, Cooperative Department, Industry Department, Energy Department, Health Department and Transport Department including newly posted Supply Officer in Food and Consumer Protection Department and other dignitaries were present.