World Consumer Rights Day: Initiatives taken for eco-labelling
By TIOL News Service
NEW DELHI, MARCH 17, 2025: UNION Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and New & Renewable Energy, Pralhad Joshi while delivering virtual address on World Consumer Rights Day 2025 here on Saturday, said that Government of India's initiatives for eco-labelling programmes, consumer protection from unfair trade practices in the e-commerce sector, strengthening the regulatory framework against greenwashing and consumer grievance platforms are empowering consumers.
He said that Centre has been at the forefront of fostering sustainability through responsible consumer policies. He quoted the Hon'ble Prime Minister Narender Modi and said, "Government of India is not only focusing on Consumer Protection but also consumers prosperity".
The Department of Consumer Affairs under Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution organised a Webinar on the theme "A Just Transition to Sustainable Lifestyles" on the occasion of World Consumer Rights Day. The webinar aims to raise awareness and foster dialogue on integrating sustainability into everyday consumer choices without compromising economic and social fairness.
Joshi stated that this year's theme reflects the need to make sustainable and healthy lifestyle choices available, accessible and affordable by all the consumer while ensuring that this transition upholds the people basic rights and needs. He further stated that sustainable lifestyle is key to addressing interconnected crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. It presents an opportunity of ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas Sabka Vishwaas and Sabka Prayas' delivering a solution that benefits both the people and planet.
The Union Minister said Consumer Protection and fostering sustainability has been part of Indian culture since ancient times and formed the core of our administration.
Joshi commended the efforts of Department of Consumer Affairs and CCPA for issuing Guidelines for Prevention of Misleading Advertisements, Dark Patterns, Greenwashing, and misleading Advertisement in coaching Sector. He further congratulated Department for enacting the Consumer Protection E-commerce Rules, 2020 and taking proactive actions and launching initiatives for the protection of consumers on e-commerce.
The Minister appreciated the initiative of E-Daakhil portal and later on e-Jagriti which signifies as the major step been taken towards consumer protection. He further emphasized on the initiatives of BIS recognizing quality control orders, hall marking of gold jewellery and recalling of substandard products ensuring consumer gets quality products. He appraised the BIS for issuing 180 QCO's covering 769 products and appreciated BIS for successfully implementing eco mark schemes and standards for packaging the material to identify and promote the environment friendly products & sustainable packaging.
He highlighted the importance of consumer awareness by appreciating the Awareness Program "Jago Grahak Jago" and Jagriti mascot. Reduce, Reuse and Recycle are needed to be made part of our life for a sustainable consumer practice, he said adding on that it is necessary for consumers to understand their shared responsibilities towards society by following Mahatma Gandhi who talked about a zero-carbon lifestyle and calls for picking the most sustainable options in daily life choices.
He further said that the Hon'ble Prime Minister has given a call for the Mission LiFE which envisions replacing the prevalent ‘use-and-dispose' economy—governed by mindless and destructive consumption — with a ‘circular economy', which would be defined by mindful and deliberate utilization.
Present on the occasion, B.L. Verma, Minister of State for Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution and Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment during his address said that this day hold significance on the international platform for celebrating consumer rights and protection of consumer rights. India having the vast population is one of the developing countries through its policies and regulatory frameworks protecting the rights of the consumer.
Smt Nidhi Khare, Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs in her welcome address said Sustainability should not be costly rather it should be affordable to each class of society. Thus, there is need of just transition to sustainable lifestyles, she said adding on that the manufacturers of high-end goods should take diligence in making products sustainable to consumers. She further said, as consumer we should look into ourselves where we utilize the resources in a mindful manner. In line with today's theme, the Department has initiated discussions on the Right to Repair, focusing on democratizing repair information, services, and spare parts, as well as empowering consumers with knowledge for minor repairs. This global movement is gaining momentum in promoting consumer rights, she said.
She enumerated the steps taken by Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) wherein Guidelines for the Prevention and Regulation of Greenwashing, 2024 was issued, focusing on due diligence by manufacturers for fair sustainable claims. The CCPA also facilitated the refund of ?1454 crores for air tickets booked during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the Department launched a Safety Pledge for e-commerce platforms, where companies commit to promptly resolving consumer issues without any registration or fee.
The National Consumer Helpline (NCH) 2.0, which is a one stop centre for easy and hassle-free resolution of consumer grievances at free of cost has seen rapid growth, and now we anticipate for NCH 3.0 aiming to reduce resolution time from 45 to 7 days, the Secretary said. To ensure product quality, the Bureau of Indian Standards and Legal Metrology regularly conducts market surveys, promoting the availability of high-quality products for consumers.
The webinar focused on two issues relating to sustainable lifestyle which were divided into separate technical sessions one on ‘A Right to Repair Framework' and other on ‘Time Dissemination'.
Department of Consumer Affair to commemorate WCRD 2025, have initiated a series of impactful activities, engaging consumers, Voluntary Consumer Organizations (VCOs), and industry stakeholders across the nation. These initiatives reaffirm Department's unwavering commitment to protecting consumer interests while fostering an ecosystem of quality and sustainability.
- On March 12, 2025, NTH hosted a technical talk on ‘A Just Transition to Sustainable Lifestyles' featuring insights from esteemed experts Umesh Sahdev, Dr. Aparna Dhawan, and Prof. Gaurav Verma. Their deliberations will provide a profound understanding of how consumers and industries can transition toward sustainability.
- A Consumer Rights Awareness Campaign was launched NCCF, featuring mobile outreach vans at 29 branch locations to educate and empower consumers about their rights and entitlements.
- On March 13, 2025, NCCF conducted a Hybrid Workshop on ‘A Just Transition to Sustainable Lifestyles and Price Monitoring.' This workshop will bring together NCCF staff, Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), and member societies to foster knowledge-sharing and capacity-building.
- On March 12, 2025, a webinar on e-Jagriti was organized in National Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission to highlight the enhanced features and functionalities of the upgraded portal. This initiative will enable stakeholders to navigate the digital consumer grievance redressal system with greater efficiency.
- The Quality Connect Campaign has been launched from March 1st to March 15 th , 2025, via the Quality Connect app, by the BIS reinforcing the significance of standards in protecting consumer rights. Around 100 Manak Mitras from the Standards Clubs in colleges were deployed per branch office to engage with government officials, raising awareness about the importance of a robust Standards and Quality Ecosystem. Dedicated teams of Manak Mitras reach out to state capitals and major districts, engaging at least 30 officials per team and distributing informative pamphlets on Standards Promotion and Quality Assurance. Manak Carnivals will be organized nationwide, targeting Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) to promote the message of Standards, Quality, and Consumer Rights.
Senior Officers from the Department, Representative from Consumer Dispute Redressal Commissions, NPL, ISRO, and with other Central and State Government bodies of various states, Member of Industry Business Association, Students, Various Voluntary Consumer Organizations and Law Chairs and e-commerce companies attended the webinar.
