Highlighting the need for generating mass awareness about consumer rights, Minister for Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CA&PD) Ch Zulfkar Ali exhorted upon the stakeholders to play proactive role in checking food adulteration and other unethical trade practices which harm consumer interest.He was speaking at a Symposium held to mark the National Consumer Rights Day, at Government Women’s College here today.The function was organized by Department of CA&PD and Dept. of Legal Metrology Kashmir to generate awareness about consumer rights.Director CA&PD Abdul Rashid War, Principal Women’s College Prof. Shaheena Altaf, Muhammad Yousuf Financial advisor CA&PD, Ehsan Ali Joint Controller Legal Metrology and other senior officers, besides large number of school children and civil society members attended the programme.
Students from various schools and faculty members of the Women’s college also spoke on the occasion and threw light on consumer rights and steps needed for awareness and protection of consumer rights.The Minister highlighted various steps taken by the CA&PD ministry to protect consumer rights. He said the goal of holding such events in educational institutes was to focus on the youth who can be the ambassador of change in the society and disseminate awareness about important issues. He further said that the government is mulling to introduce Consumer Affairs as a subject in the colleges and schools to involve students in this vital cause and further disseminate awareness about consumer rights.He stressed on the need to check unethical trade practice and called upon all to join hands against such practices “We can make many laws but just legislation's won’t do, we as a society will have to change for better.”
“ Government contemplates amendment in the consumer protection act, establishing separate directorates for consumer affairs and public affairs, and setting up of state consumer protection forums in every district of the state to ensure better services to the people and time bound redressal of the grievances, informed the Minister .Later the Minister inaugurated Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) video surveillance system at the CA&PD head-office and directed the officials to make best use of the facility. The Minister directed the CA&PD department to bring in more transparency and efficiency so that common people get benefitted.He also held a meeting to review the progress on implementation of National Food Security Act (NFSA) in the state.