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What’s the Fate of Consumer Protection Act 2018?


Indian consumers have the habit of trusting a manufacturer or service provider easily and hence, they often become victims of frauds or bad business practices. This is the reason the Indian government needs to play an active role in protecting the rights of the consumers, making them more aware and getting them justice whenever possible.

It won’t be wrong to say that though the Indian government is trying hard to help consumers stay away from frauds and know their rights via different methods, there are still gaps that need to be filled. One of such gaps is the delay in implementing the Consumer Protection Act 2018. The act has been awaiting clearance since two parliamentary sessions.

Why Consumer Protection Act 2018 is Better than the Consumer Protection Act 1986?

The Consumer Protection Act 2018 is better than the Consumer Protection Act 1986 because it gives more power to the customers and makes manufacturers and service providers more accountable. Some features of this act worth noting are:

·        It makes an endorser liable for any and all misleading advertisements.

·        It will make e-commerce websites more accountable than ever for any and all unfair trade practices.
·        This act will also make it easy to conduct a trial on errant companies that don’t comply with the orders given by any consumer forum.

·        It is also being hoped that the new act will help consumer forums to have better resources. Right now, most consumer forums have minimal staff and poor-quality equipment that prevents them to do their jobs efficiently.

High Hopes

People who want the Consumer Protection Act 2018 to be implemented as soon as possible are hoping that this act will get clearance in the winter parliament session of 2018 and the government will find the time to implement this 59-page document that will help customers to get more value for money and avoid scams.

Consumer Rights Day

India will also celebrate the Consumer Rights Day on December 24, 2018 because it’s the day when the Consumer Protection Act 1986 was enacted. The Indian citizens and protectors/promoters of consumer rights can only hope that the Consumer Protection Act will be implemented by December 24, 2019.

The Expectations

The protectors and promoters of consumer rights are also hoping that the government will not only pass the Consumer Protection Act 2018 but will also play an active role in ensuring its proper implementation, especially in those underdeveloped areas where the consumers are least educated or aware.

One of the solutions that might help the government to enforce the law with better results is to form an autonomous body that ensures the perfect implementation of the act across the country by reaching out to every consumer, be it the modern urban consumer who spends 12 hours at a corporate office or a simple farmer living in a far-off village who spends most of his time in farming activities.

The government needs to realize that if a consumer is educated, it doesn’t necessarily mean that he or she is more aware of the consumer protection laws because most common people are so busy with their work and private lives that they find it hard to make time and read about consumer protection. Such consumers can be made more aware by sharing details of laws like the Consumer Protection Act 2018 over digital media and social media platforms.

To educate the villagers and uneducated people regarding their rights, the government can take help of non-governmental organizations like Consumer Voice that aim to educate the consumers by adopting means the consumers can understand.

Conclusion

In essence, it can be seen that protectors/promoters of the Consumer Protection Act 2018 are right in believing that the government not only needs to clear the bill as soon as possible but it must also take additional steps to ensure that more and more people are aware of what is being done for them and how they can use the new legislation to their advantage. After all, there is no point in enacting new laws if people don’t know how to use the law to their advantage and punish those manufacturers or service providers who cheat them or do any fraud.

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