(a) whether the Government are aware that the people living in the rural areas of the country are aware of the
consumer rights and are cheated by the various agencies;
(b) if so, whether the Union Government have taken/propose to take any steps to create awareness among the rural
population about consumer rights; and
(c) if so, the details thereof?
MINISTER OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION ( SHRI SHARAD YADAV )
(a) to (c): The consumer movement has gained considerable momentum in the country due to the persistent efforts
made to create consumer awareness by the Central/State Governments, NGOs, consumer organisations, media and others with the
special emphasis to rural and tribal areas.
To spread consumer awareness, Government has undertaken various programmes on consumer protection through audio,
video and print media in addition to the observance of the National Consumer Day on 24th December, World Consumer Rights Day on
15th March, involving all concerned, some of the important steps taken by the Department of Consumer Affairs to further
strengthen consumer movement are:
(i) Amendment of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 made in December, 2002. Among others, the provision made to set up
District Consumer Protection Council at district level is expected to strengthen consumer movement at grass root level.
(ii) Financial assistance is extended under the Consumer Welfare Fund (CWF) to promote and protect welfare of consumers
and to strengthen the consumer movement in the country. Under the Fund, a scheme namely District Consumer Information
Centra (DCIC) has been launched to set up Centre in each district in a phased manner. Other schemes, i.e., Jagriti Shivir
Yojana and Consumer Clubs have also been launched for spreading consumer awareness amongst the Below Poverty Line (BPL)
categories of the population and the students of the schools respectively.