Eastern States Workshop Enhances Consumer Protection Measures

The Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India, hosted a Regional Workshop on Consumer Protection today in Patna, Bihar, uniting stakeholders from Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Odisha. The event aimed to bolster consumer grievance redressal mechanisms and enhance the operational efficiency of Consumer Commissions across these eastern states.

The workshop’s agenda included strategies to reduce case backlogs, ensure compliance with Consumer Commission orders, and incorporate digital tools to facilitate faster justice. It also addressed challenges posed by dark patterns and unfair trade practices in the digital marketplace.

Strong Advocacy for Digital Consumer Justice

During her keynote address, Smt. Nidhi Khare, Secretary of the Department of Consumer Affairs, emphasized the significant reforms initiated to modernize the nation’s consumer grievance redressal system. She highlighted the expanding capabilities of the National Consumer Helpline (NCH 2.0), which serves as a pre-litigation platform offering multilingual access, online complaint submissions, and quick resolutions through technology.

Smt. Khare elaborated on the nationwide deployment of E-Jagriti, also known as CONFONET 2.0, a comprehensive digital platform for Consumer Commissions. This innovative platform integrates e-Daakhil for online case management, video conferencing, data dashboards, and AI tools, establishing an end-to-end digital workflow for consumer cases. She asserted that E-Jagriti represents a transformative shift from fragmented approaches to a streamlined, efficient digital ecosystem, promising better monitoring and expedited case resolutions, especially beneficial for rural areas in Bihar, Jharkhand, and Odisha.

Focusing on Agricultural Stability

In addition to consumer justice, Smt. Khare addressed the imperative to bolster domestic production and procurement of pulses, noting the trend of families moving from cereal to pulse consumption. Recognizing Bihar’s strong agricultural framework, she underscored the opportunities for enhancing pulse cultivation and structured procurement efforts, including dalhan procurement. With India reliant on pulse imports from nations like Myanmar and Australia, she insisted on increasing domestic capabilities while maintaining minimum support prices (MSP) for farmers.

Advancements in Digital Governance

Shri Pratyaya Amrit, Chief Secretary of the Government of Bihar, expressed his support for the digital governance reforms during the workshop. He emphasized that citizens should be recognized not merely as beneficiaries but as consumers entitled to clear information, fair treatment, and prompt redress. He expressed optimism that the discussions on emerging challenges like dark patterns would yield tangible outcomes and assured the implementation of workshop recommendations throughout Bihar, aligning with the national vision of Viksit Bharat @2047.

Technical Sessions on Consumer Protection

The workshop featured four technical sessions that delved into various consumer protection areas:

• Technical Session I: “E-Jagriti: Advancing Consumer Justice Through Digital Innovation” focused on digital transformation within Consumer Commissions.
• Technical Session II: “Ensuring Speedy Disposal: Best Practices for Minimizing Adjournments,” addressed procedural reforms and technology-enabled scheduling.
• Technical Session III: “Ensuring Compliance: Effective Execution of Consumer Commission Orders,” discussed strategies for strengthening enforcement and monitoring.
• Technical Session IV: “Dark Patterns and Consumer Protection in Digital Markets” tackled challenges in e-commerce, including misleading practices.

Additional parallel sessions examined reforms in Legal Metrology, including E-Maap and the Jan Vishwas Bill, and discussed measures for price stabilization through market interventions.

The workshop concluded with a commitment to enhance digital integration, reinforce institutional capabilities, and promote inter-State cooperation among Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Odisha, reaffirming the Department of Consumer Affairs’ dedication to building a faster, accessible, and technology-driven consumer justice system.

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