Govt to set up regulatory body to check faulty products

New Delhi, Sept 4: In order to protect consumers from faulty products and services, the government has decided to set up a regulatory body with the power to recall defective items and order reimbursement of the price of the goods and services.

‘‘We have proposed amendment to the Consumer Protection Act for setting up of an executive agency 'Central Consumer Protection Authority' to promote, protect and enforce the rights of consumers enshrined in the Act,’’ food minister Ram Vilas Paswan told PTI.

The proposed regulatory authority will have the power to examine the defective goods and file class action suits at National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) for speedy adjudication of the matter, he said.

The minister said the authority will have power to impose penalty on those found violating any of the provisions of such laws which seek to protect the consumers interest. It will also have the power to recall any faulty goods and services, Paswan said, ‘‘If any consumer items is found defective, the regulator will have power to conduct investigations, either suo motto or on a complaint, into violations of consumer rights.’’

On the basis of such investigations, the authority would have power to recall goods found to be unsafe or withdrawal of services found to be unsafe or hazardous and order reimbursement of the price of the goods, he said. PTI