Department of Consumer Affairs monitoring price of 38 food commodities to control the volatility in price

Following are the major highlights of the activities of the Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India during the year 2024:

Price Monitoring

Price Monitoring Division oversees the implementation of daily price monitoring of essential food commodities and price stabilization interventions. The Department collects daily retail and wholesale prices of 22 essential commodities and retail prices of 16 additional commodities from 555 price reporting centers through mobile app viz. Price Monitoring System (PMS). These daily prices constitute critical inputs to take decisions purport to mitigate price surge, market intervention, restricting import-export duties and calibrate the monetary policy. Under Price Stabilization Fund, government undertakes market interventions to control the volatility in prices of agri-horticultural commodities such as onion, potato, tomato and pulses to protect the interests of consumers. Market interventions primarily involve procurement of these commodities for buffer stock and undertaking strategic market disposals to contain price volatility. Buffer stocking also acts as deterrent for unscrupulous speculations. The procurement of agri-horticultural commodities ensures remunerative prices to the farmers for their produce.

The Price Monitoring Division (PMD) was set up in 1998. Presently, 38 commodities are being monitored by PMD include five item groups i.e., Cereals: Fats: (Groundnut Oil, Mustard Oil, Vanaspati Oil, Soya Oil, Sunflower Oil, Palm Oil, Desi Ghee, Butter), Vegetables: (Potato, Onion, Tomato, Brinjal), Animal Products: (Milk, Egg), Spices: (Black Pepper, Coriander, Cumin Seed, Red Chilli, Turmeric), Fruits: (Banana), Others: (Sugar, Gur, Tea, Salt). In October 2024, Ladakh was added to the price monitoring network with the inclusion of two new centers, Leh and Kargil. This strategic expansion has brought the total coverage to 35 States/UTs.

Price Stabilisation Fund

The Price Stabilization Fund (PSF) was set up with an initial corpus of ₹500 crore to tackle price volatility in some agri-horticultural commodities viz. onion, potato and pulses to protect the interests of consumers. These commodities are to be procured from farmers/farmer’s association at the time of harvesting and stored for regulated release during lean season to help bring down their prices. The PSF Scheme has now been merged with other components of PM-AASHA scheme of D/o Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. Therefore, PSF is now one of the components of PM-AASHA umbrella scheme. However, the PSF Scheme will continue to be managed by D/o Consumer Affairs for price stabilisation interventions and daily price monitoring.

Budget Provision and Deliberations

Budget allocation/AE of ₹ 37,489.15 crore has been made under PSF corpus from 2014-15 to 2024-25. This fund was largely utilized for building the dynamic buffer of pulses and onions. The financial year-wise allocation/ utilization of funds under PSF is ₹ 10,000 crore in 2024-25 (BE), Nil in 2023-24 (AE), ₹ 0.01 crore in 2022-23 (AE) , ₹ 2030.83 crore in 2021-22 (AE), ₹11,135.30cr in 2020-21 (AE), ₹1,713 cr in 2019-20 (AE), ₹1500 cr in 2018-19 (AE), ₹ 3500 cr in 2017-18 (AE); ₹ 6900 cr in 2016-17 (AE); ₹ 660 crores in 2015-16 (AE); and ₹ 50 crores in 2014-15 (AE). As per the Government’s decision, the PSF was transferred to the Department of Consumer Affairs (DoCA) w.e.f. 1st April, 2016. Price stabilization operations are determined at the Centre by the Central Price Stabilization Fund Management Committee (PSFMC) which was reconstituted on transfer of Scheme and is now headed by Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs. The Corpus Fund is managed by Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC). There is also a Sub- committee for investing surplus from PSF corpus chaired by Financial Adviser, M/o CA, F&PD. Till now, 59 meetings of the Re-constituted PSMFC have been held. In the States/UTs, the Price Stabilization operations are to be managed by the State level PSFMC and operated out of the State level Corpus Fund. Interest free advances from the PSF corpus may be made both to Central Agencies and to State level Corpus. The State level Corpus is created with a sharing pattern between GoI and State in the ratio of 50: 50, which is 75:25 in case the North Eastern States. On 9th December 2015, Government approved creation of buffer stock of 1.5 lakh tonnes of pulses. Subsequently, after due deliberation, it was recommended that a larger buffer stock of around 20 lakh tonnes of pulses would be needed for effective market intervention. This was approved by the Government on 12.09.2016. Government created a buffer of 20.50 lakh MT of pulses through both domestic procurement and imports by RMS 2017-18 from which regular disposal was undertaken.

Conversion of Chana, Moong and Masur stocks for retail disposal under Bharat   Dal brand

Chana Dal: During Phase II, the Central Government launched the sale of Chana dal and Chana whole in retail market under the brand name of Bharat Dal on 23.10.2024. The allocated Chana stock will be sold in Dal form and Whole form in the ratio of 80:20 in 1 kg pack at MRP of Rs. 70/kg for Chana Dal and Rs.58/kg for Chana Whole. Bharat Chana Dal and Whole Chana are made available for retail sale to consumers and for supplies through retail outlets of NAFED, NCCF, Kendriya Bhandar etc. Previously, during Phase I, chana dal was sold in retail market under the brand name of Bharat Dal at subsidized rates of Rs.60 per kg for 1 kg pack and Rs.55 per kg for 30 kg pack in order to make pulses available to consumers at affordable prices.

Moong Dal: Conversion of Moong stock into Moong Dal (Dhuli) and Moong Dal (Saboot) for retail disposal under the Bharat Dal Brand has also been approved the Government. Taking into account the prevailing prices of Moong Dal in the retail market, the MRP for Bharat Moong Dal (Dhuli) is fixed at Rs.107 per kg, and Bharat Moong Dal (Sabut) at Rs.93 per kg by allowing a discount of Rs.1,500/qtl on the issue price (i.e., MSP of the stock) of Moong stock. Bharat Moong Dal is made available in retail outlets of NAFED, NCCF, Kendriya Bhandar, Safal etc. and also on e-commerce platforms.

Masur Dal: Conversion of Masur stock into Masur Dal for retail disposal under the Bharat Dal Brand has also been approved the Government. Taking into account the prevailing prices of Masur Dal in the retail market, the MRP for Bharat Masur Dal is fixed at Rs.89 per kg. Bharat Masur Dal is made available in retail outlets of NAFED, NCCF, Kendriya Bhandar Safal etc. and also on e-commerce platforms.

Major milestones in PSF Pulses Buffer

A buffer stock of 20.50 lakh tonnes of pulses was built through both domestic procurement of 16.71 lakh tonnes by FCI, NAFED and SFAC, and imports of 3.79 lakh tonnes by MMTC and STC during Phase 1 (2016-18). Domestic procurement for the buffer was done from farmers and farmers association during Kharif Marketing Seasons (KMS) of 2015-16 and 2016-17 as well as Rabi Marketing Seasons (RMS) of 2016-17 and 2017-18. Imports were made only during 2015-16 and 2016-17. This stock has been disposed off

Subsequently 2018-19 and onwards, Government has decided that procurement at MSP would be under PSS of DACFW and requirement towards building suitable buffer would be met from the PSS stock in case procurement is not required to be undertaken under PSF. As the procurement since Rabi-17 was under MSP operation of PSS, pulses procured under Price Support Scheme (PSS) of Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare (DACFW) have since been channelized to PSF to the extent of meeting buffer requirements. This has ensured effective utilisation of PSS stocks towards stabilization efforts as calibrated releases are made from PSF. Thus, harmonization between PSS and PSF has been achieved with remunerative prices being assured to farmers and intervention on the supply side is undertaken to manage their prices in consumer interest.

During Phase 2, around 67.93 LMT of pulses have been transferred/replenished from PSS stocks to rebuild PSF buffer stock/allocation under PMGKAY/ANB schemes. Further, under PSF, procurement of 4.88 LMT of pulses have been undertaken and about 7.09 LMT has been procured from imported pulses. Also, 6.07 LMT of pulses have been replenished from PSS. In Phase 2, about 75.86 LMT (including PMGKAY/ANB) of pulses have been disposed of and 10.11 LMT of pulses are available in the PSF buffer (as on 02.12.2024). During F.Y. 2024-25, 4.41 LMT of pulses transferred from PSS, DA&FW to PSF, DoCA, 0.23 LMT of pulses procured under PSF, 0.25 LMT of pulses procured from imported pulses, 0.55 LMT of pulses have been replenished from PSS and 5.64 LMT of pulses has been   disposed of as on 02.12.2024

State-level Price Stabilisation Fund

The Price Stabilisation Fund Scheme has a component under which interest- free working capital advance is provided from the PSF Corpus on a 50:50 sharing basis between Centre and State (75:25 ratio in respect of North Eastern States) for setting up State-level PSF. Till date, 7 States have availed of the fund for setting up State-level PSF for market intervention in various essential food commodities. Funds have been provided to Andhra Pradesh (₹50 crores), Telangana (₹9.15 crores), West Bengal (₹2.50 crores), Odisha (₹25 crores), Tamil Nadu (₹2.50 crores), Assam (₹75 crores) and Nagaland (₹37.50 crores) for setting up State Level PSF.

PSF Onion Operations

In order to check the volatility in prices of onion, the Government maintains onion buffer under the PSF. The buffer size has been increased year after year from 1.00 LMT in 2020-21 to 2.50 LMT in 2022-23 to 7 LMT in 2023-24 and 4.75 LMT in 2024-25. The onion from the buffer is released in major consumption centres during the lean season from September to December in a calibrated and targeted manner to cool down prices. The details of onion buffer acquired under PSF since 2017-18 are given below:

The Onion retail sale started on 05.9.2024. Upto 04 December, 2024 (04.12.2022), total 23 States were covered under onion retails sale and sale quantity of 5,14,92,875.32 kg. The main agencies involved in retail sale of onion were NAFED, NCCF, Kendriya Bhandar &Safal etc.

PSF Tomato Operation and Tomato Grand Challenge

The Department has directed National Cooperative Consumers Federation (NCCF) to procure tomato and dispose them simultaneously in major cities where retail prices have recorded the maximum increase.

The Department of Consumer Affairs launched the Tomato Grand Challenge on 30^th June, 2023, to invite ideas for comprehensive and focused area interventions in tomato value chain, from cropping and market insights for the farmers to improved packaging, transportation and storage. The Tomato Grand Challenge is open to students, research scholars, faculty members, industry individuals, Indian start-ups, professionals etc. The overall objective of the Grand Challenge is to ensure availability of tomato to consumers at affordable prices. A total of 1376 ideas have been received. After two rounds of evaluations of proposals and presentations made by the participants, 28 teams from various institutes and startups were shortlisted and these projects were funded for development of the solutions with a major focus on commercialization of the products. Top 3/4 winners will be selected for field implementation for ensuring its usability/scalability on a large scale and price of the product.

Initiatives in North East States

Price Monitoring Division (PMD) monitors retail and wholesale prices of 38 essential food items for which data is also obtained 87 centres (included in 555 total centers) from North East, viz. Itanagar, Namsai, Pasighat, Tawang, Guwahati, Barpeta, Tinsukia, Dhubri, Goalpara, Golaghat, Mangaldai, Mushalpur, Udalguri, Bajali, Hojai, Jorhat, Bongaigaon, Morigaon, Sonari, Tamulpur, Sivasagar, Biswanath Chariali, Dibrugarh, Karimganj, Majuli, Sonitpur Tezpur, Haflong, As-Lakhimpur, Diphu, Nalbari, South Salmara, Mankachar, Kamrup, Imphal, Chandel, Jiribam, Kangpokpi, Senapati, Tamenglong, Thoubal, Ukhrul, Shillong, Tura, Jowai, Sohra, Mairang, Nongpoh, Khliehriat, Williamnagar, Nongstoin, Mawkyrwat, Aizawl, Lunglei, Kolasib, Mamit, Champhai, Serchhip, Siaha, Lawngtlai, Hnahthial, Khawzawl, Saitual, Kohima, Dimapur, Tuensang, Mokochung, Chumukedima, Mon, Peren, Phek, Tseminyu, Wokha, Zunheboto, Kiphire, Longleng, Niuland, Shamator, Noklak, Gangtok, Gyalshing, Namchi, Soreng, Mangan, Pakyong, Agartala, Dharmanagar, Belonia, TR-Udaipur. To strengthen the price monitoring mechanism in the North Eastern States, PMD through its Scheme for Strengthening of PMC provided financial assistance to State Government of Mizoram, Nagaland, Assam and Tripura during the year 2024-25.

On 8th Nov, 2024, The Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India organizes day long Round Table consultation on ‘Food Price Management and Expanding Pulses & Horticultural Crop Production in North Eastern Region held at Guwahati. The objective of the meeting was to focus on boosting the production of pulses and horticultural crops, recognizing the critical role of North-Eastern states in achieving self-sufficiency in pulses production by 2027.

Interest free advances from the PSF corpus may be made both to Central Agencies and to State level Corpus. The State level Corpus is created with a sharing pattern between GOI and State in the ratio of 50: 50, which is 75:25 in case the North Eastern States.

₹75 crore was released as 1st instalment of Centre’s share as a matching contribution to Govt. of Assam in December 2019 for creation of a revolving fund of ₹200 crore for State Level Price Stabilisation Fund of Assam. The State Government has conveyed that the fund will be utilised for market intervention activities in case of onions and Masur Dal.

₹37.50 crore was released as 1st instalment of Centre’s share as a matching contribution to Govt. of Nagaland in April 2023 for creation of a revolving fund of ₹100 crore for State Level Price Stabilisation Fund of Nagaland. The State Government has conveyed that the fund will be utilised for market intervention activities in case of Gram, Masur and Potato.

Rules/Regulations/Guidelines notified

The following Rules/Regulations/Guidelines have been notified under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 during 2024:

1. Central Consumer Protection Authority (Recruitment, Salary, Allowances and other Terms and Conditions of Service of Officers and Other Employees of Central Authority) Rules, 2024
2. Consumer Protection (Salary, allowances and conditions of service of President and Members of the State Commission and District Commission) (Amendment) Model Rules, 2024

• National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (Group A posts) Recruitment (Amendment) Rules, 2024

e-Filing

Under the provisions of Consumer Protection Act, 2019, a Consumer Commission online application portal named “edaakhil.nic.in” has been developed to facilitate the consumers/advocates to file the consumer complaint online through the e-Daakhil portal from home or anywhere at their own comfort. This E-daakhil portal also provides facility to pay the complaint fees online as well as having option to pay the fees offline with uploading the proof of payment of fee. Appeals can now also be filed on E-Dakhil.  With recent launch of edaakhil in Ladakh UT, the e-Daakhil portal can now be accessed across the country in NCDRC and in all States/UTs.

Mediation

Under the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, each Consumer Commission (District, State and National) shall have a Mediation Cell. Consumer cases, where an element of settlement exists among concerned parties, may be referred to these Mediation Cells with consent of the parties for adjudication. It therefore, acts as an alternate dispute redressal mechanism. At present, there are approx. 570 Mediation Cells in the Country.

Disposal of Cases

As a result of various initiatives undertaken by the Department of Consumer Affairs such as various regional workshops, state specific meetings and various sector-specific conferences, from July 2022 onwards, there is a significant positive shift towards the speedy and efficient disposal of cases with a disposal rate of more than 100% in many States and District Commissions. In this context, the Department has been pro-actively taking steps to ensure that the objective of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 i.e the speedy, effective and timely disposal of cases, may be achieved effectively.

Roll out of E-Jagriti

For the facilitation of consumers and with a mandate to bring justice at their doorsteps, Video Conferencing facilities have been installed in 10 benches of NCDRC and 35 benches of SCDRCs. This new service will help Consumer Commissions to hear cases through hybrid hearing which will help in remote appearances of petitioners, lawyers and organizations and also support faster disposal and hearing of a large number of cases.

National Consumer Helpline:

The Department has revamped, the National Consumer Helpline (NCH), which has emerged as a single point of access to consumers across the country for grievance redressal at the pre-litigation stage. The helpline is available in 17 languages, including Hindi, English, Kashmiri, Punjabi, Nepali, Gujarati, Marathi, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Maithili, Santhali, Bengali, Odia, Assamese, and Manipuri, allowing consumers from all regions to register their grievances via the toll-free number 1915. These grievances can be submitted via the Integrated Grievance Redressal Mechanism (INGRAM), an omni-channel, IT-enabled central portal, through various channels: WhatsApp (8800001915), SMS (8800001915), email (nch-ca[at]gov[dot]in), the NCH app, the web portal (consumerhelpline.gov.in), and the Umang app, offering convenience and flexibility to consumers.

The helpline operates in a dedicated manner from 8 AM to 8 PM on all seven days of the week, except on national holidays. To enhance accessibility further, a call-back facility is available. An exclusive call center has been established to ensure prompt service.

The NCH serves as the first point of contact for consumers, resolving issues before they escalate to litigation. The redressal of grievances is provided within 45 days, helping to prevent the overburdening of Consumer Commissions. The number of convergence partners has steadily increased from 263 companies in 2017 to 1009 companies in 2024. This growth underscores the importance of these partnerships in enhancing the helpline’s efficiency, enabling quick and effective grievance redressal, and promoting transparency and accountability. These partnerships ensure consumer complaints are addressed at the pre-litigation stage, fostering greater consumer trust. However, if a complaint remains unresolved, consumers are encouraged to approach the appropriate Consumer Commission under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

The technological transformation of the NCH has significantly boosted its call-handling capacity. The number of calls received by NCH has grown nearly tenfold, from 14,795 calls in January 2015 to 1,41,817 calls in January 2024. This exponential growth reflects the rising confidence of consumers in the helpline. Similarly, the average number of complaints registered per month has surged from 37,062 in 2017 to 1,12,468 in 2024. Additionally, grievance registration via WhatsApp has gained momentum, with the percentage of complaints filed through the platform increasing from 3% in March 2023 to 25% in March 2024, demonstrating a growing preference for digital communication channels.

In a significant move to further enhance grievance redressal, NCH has introduced AI-based Speech Recognition, a Translation System, and a Multilingual Chatbot as part of the NCH 2.0 initiative. These technological advancements aim to make the grievance filing process more seamless, efficient, and inclusive. The AI-powered Speech Recognition and Translation System enables consumers to file complaints through voice input in their local languages, reducing manual intervention. The Multilingual Chatbot provides real-time assistance, streamlining complaint-handling processes, and improving the overall user experience. These upgrades ensure that consumers from diverse linguistic backgrounds have equal access to the grievance redressal system.

National Test House:

National Test House (NTH) stands as the nation’s premier and leading scientific institution in the fields of Testing, Calibration, and Quality Evaluation. Over the past year, NTH has made significant strides, with the following major achievements and initiatives:

• Statistics for Revenue & Sample Tested FY 2023-24 to 2024-25 (till Nov 2024):

1. NTH generates revenue through commercial testing and calibration, with earnings directly credited to BHARATKOSH.
2. Year on year, NTH has improved its sample testing and revenue statistics. In FY 2023-24, the number of samples tested grew by 57.37%, and revenue increased by 42.49% compared to FY 2022-23.

• There has been an enhancement in the total number of samples tested by various regional laboratories up to November 2024 (30,549) compared to November 2023 (14,937), marking an increase of 52%.

28. Revenue generated up to November 2024 (₹ 28.61 crore) compared to November 2023 (₹ 16.69 crore) shows an increase of 42%.
29. NTH targeted to achieve Rs. 40.0 Cr. in revenue during FY 2024-25.

• NTH’s Expansion into New Horizons:

1. EV Battery Testing Facility at Kolkata, Mumbai & Bangalore: NTH is setting up advanced testing facilities for EV batteries and charging stations in Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Kolkata, chosen for their concentration of EV industry businesses. On August 22, 2024, the Union Minister of Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, laid the foundation for the EV testing facility at RRSL’s Jakkur campus in Bengaluru. Equipment like the Battery Life Cycle Tester has been procured for Mumbai and Bengaluru, while procurement for Kolkata is ongoing.
2. Fertilizer Testing Facility Capacity Enhancement: NTH has conducting quality testing of fertilizers as Third Referee Analysis in collaboration with Ministry of Agriculture, Govt. of India. To bolster our sample testing capacity, all fertilizer laboratories across NTH Regions are now equipped with modern equipment. This enhancement enables us to conduct tests more efficiently, resulting in a higher volume of samples being processed compared to earlier.

• UAS (Drone) Certification: As part of the Certification Scheme for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), NTH, Ghaziabad has received provisional approval from the Quality Council of India (QCI) as a Certification Body for type certification of drones. In alignment with this responsibility, a team of auditors from NTH conducted a Stage-1 & Stage-2 (onsite) assessment, and the resulting report has been forwarded to QCI. This assessment represents a crucial step toward securing type certification—a mandatory requirement for drones operating in India under the Drone Rules 2021.

1. Integrated Transmission Line Equipment Testing Facility:NTH is currently in the process of setting up the ‘Integrated Test Facility for Power Transmission & Distribution Sectors’ at the RIICO Industrial Area in Manda, Jaipur, Rajasthan. The boundary wall for the site has been completed, and CPWD has been appointed to oversee the construction of the lab cabins. Additionally, the procurement of capital equipment has been finalized and is currently underway.
2. Low Voltage Switchgear Testing facility: A state-of-the-art “Low Voltage Switch Gear Testing Facility” is being established at NTH (WR), Mumbai, under the BIS Scheme for “Support to Other Government Labs.” This facility enhances NTH’s capacity for short circuit testing, supporting certification for Electricity Boards, regulatory bodies, BIS, manufacturers, and academic institutions involved in R&D.
3. Testing Facility for BEE Star Rating:On September 3, 2024, NTH and BEE signed an MoU to enhance the Standards & Labelling (S&L) Program, promoting energy efficiency. The MoU includes NTH as a referral laboratory for technical disputes, nominations for NTH officers in technical committees, capacity-building training for BEE officers, a review of the S&L program, and collaboration on other technical matters.

• Organic Food Testing Facility: NTH is setting up Organic Food Testing Laboratories in Kolkata, Ghaziabad, Jaipur, and Guwahati. Proposals for Ghaziabad, Jaipur, and Guwahati have been submitted to BIS under the ‘Support to Government Labs’ scheme. Partial test facilities are already operational at Jaipur, Ghaziabad, and Guwahati, and have been notified by FSSAI in the Gazette of India. Procurement of equipment for NTH Kolkata is underway.
• Solar Cell and Panel Testing Facility: A laboratory will be established at NTH (NR), Ghaziabad, to cater to the testing needs of manufacturers and domestic consumers of Solar PV Modules, under the BIS Scheme for “Support to Other Government Labs for the Creation/Augmentation of Test Facilities in Critical Areas.” The procurement of capital equipment is currently in progress, with the technical specifications nearing finalization.

1. Advance testing facility by High Voltage Lab at Chennai:The High Voltage Laboratory (HVL) of NTH, Chennai, has developed an Integrated Power Transformer Test System for testing various transformers and reactors, including Distribution and Power Transformers, Dry Type Transformers, and Inductors, with ratings from 200 kVA to 6 MVA. The system meets national and international standards, including IS 1180 (Part 1) and IEC 60076 series, ensuring accurate and consistent testing.

Legal Metrology

Online Portal for services provided by Legal Metrology: All the services provided under Legal Metrology are online through the portals. These portals are for ease of doing business and reducing compliance burden. The work of certification has become very fast and reduces the time for submitting application etc. NSWS (National Single Window System) Portal approves models of weights & measures, Registration of Manufacturers/ Packers/ Importers of pre-packaged commodities, Registration of nomination of Directors of companies responsible for compliance under the Legal Metrology Act.

The Legal Metrology is working with NIC and States Legal Metrology Departments for the development of National Legal Metrology Portal. All the services at the Centre and State level will be provided through this portal viz. issue of licence, verification of weights and measures, registrations, approval of models of weights and measures, enforcement activities etc. The portal will reduce human intervention, bring transparency and reduce delay in submission of documents and issue of certificate.

Legislative reforms during 2024 to safeguard the interest of consumers and for reducing compliance burden for ease of doing business:

1. From 01.01.2024 declaration of unit sale price and month & year of manufactureis made mandatory on all pre-packaged commodities in the interest of consumers
2. The e-commerce websites are mandatedto make few declarations for loose commodities ordered through e-commerce in the interest of consumers like MRP, net quantity etc.

• The Second Schedule mandating the prescribed sizes for few packaged commodities is omitted.

Time Dissemination project

Precise time is essential for country’s strategic and non-strategic sectors. Considering the importance of dissemination of Indian Standard Time (IST), the project has been undertaken by the Department of Consumer Affairs in association with National Physical Laboratory and ISRO. The project aims to create technology and infrastructure to disseminate IST from five sites across India. The time ensembles are established at RRSL, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar and Faridabad during 2024. The first phase will be completed by 31.3.2025.

OIML Certification

India has become the 13th country worldwide to issue OIML pattern approval certificates marking a milestone in legal metrology, boosting its global standing and facilitating international trade in weighing and measuring instruments.

The domestic manufacturers can now export their weighing and measuring instrument worldwide without incurring additional testing fees, resulting in significant cost savings. India can also support the foreign manufacturers by issuing OIML pattern approval certificates after testing from our OIML approved Regional Reference Standard Laboratory. By issuing the OIML approval certificates of weighing & measuring instrument to the foreign manufacturers India will also generate forex in terms of fees etc.

The OIML Approval Certificates were issued to two Indian Manufacturers in 2024.

Successfully hosted the 9th OIML CS MC Meetings (International organization of Legal Metrology – Certification System Management Committee meetings) during 05th-7th March, 2024 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. The meeting was attended by the international delegates including the representatives of OIML member states of Australia, Cambodia, Canada, Colombia, Czech Republic, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States, Zambia and India.

Compliance of provision of country of origin for all goods including on e-commerce platforms

In the interest of consumers all the importers are required to declare country of origin for imported products including on e-commerce entities. Various notices have been issued to e-commerce entities for not complying the provisions of rules of declaring mandatory information on digital platforms. The cases against the violators who have not compounded the offence are being filed in the court of law.

Consumer Welfare Fund

The overall objective of the Consumer Welfare Fund is to provide financial assistance to promote and protect the welfare of consumers and strengthen the consumer movement in the country. Under the Rules, funds are given to the States/UTs as seed money as one time grant on 75:25 basis (90:10 in the case of Special Category States/ UTs) to create a Consumer Welfare (Corpus) Fund. The States/UTs are required to carry out activities to provide coverage to projects for consumer welfare of local relevance out of the interests generated in the Corpus Fund every year. So far 25 States have established the Consumer Welfare (Corpus) Fund.

Further, Funds have also been given as assistance/grants to National Law Universities for conducting National Level Moot Court Competition for Law Students and Capacity Building Programmes for the Presidents and Members of the State and District Commissions.

Also, assistance/grants are provided to different National Law Schools for the establishment of Law Chairs to foster research, teaching and training on consumer related issues. So far Consumer Law Chairs have been established in NLU, Delhi; NLSIU, Bengaluru and National University of Study & Research in Law, Ranchi.

• Fund released during the Financial Year 2024-25 till date

During the FY 2024-25, ₹ 32.68 Cr. have been released to various states for the establishment/enhancement of their respective State Consumer Welfare (Corpus) Fund as Central Govt. share. As such, out of 28 States and 8 UTs, 24 States and 1 UT have established the Consumer Welfare (Corpus) Funds.

In addition to the above, the Department has released funds to National Law University of Delhi and Rajiv Gandhi National Law University, Punjab, for conducting Capacity Building Programmes.

Bureau of Indian Standards

The mandate of BIS is to formulate standards that promote quality of goods and services. The Bureau provides technical support to industries and services sector by way of updated standards, developing new standards in emerging areas, and providing certification of goods and services for ensuring quality and safety.

• Standards Formulation

During 2023 – October 2024, 2208 standards (893 new and 1315 revised) were formulated and 3871 Standards were reviewed. The total number of standards in force, as on October 2024 is 22,774. 9437 Indian Standards have been harmonized with ISO/IEC standards.

• New Initiatives in Standards Development

1. i) Standards National Action Plan (SNAP) 2022-27

SNAP 2022-27 had identified 7 strategic imperatives in order to strengthen the standardization ecosystem in the country. Considerable progress was made w.r.t. all the strategic imperatives.

1. ii)Creation of BIS Standardization Chairs in Premier Technical Institutions

BIS has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with 92 Premier Academic Institutions of the country for collaboration in the areas of Standardization and Conformity Assessment, including Standardization Chairs established at 17 of these institutes, with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore being the recent addition.

• Aligning the Standards to the Sustainable Development Goals, the ones related to climate change in particular

Each of the Technical department at BIS have identified one sector (comprising several Standards) within their domain area and task related to incorporating sustainability aspects in the Standards has been initiated. Few of the identified sector are Automotive Tyres, Transformers, Paper and Paper products, Plastic Sector, Steel Sector, Refrigeration and Air conditioning, etc. This has resulted into developing Sector specific horizontal standards comprising sourcing and use of sustainable raw materials, sustainable manufacturing process (e.g. energy efficient, use of renewable source of energy, water efficient, use of non-hazardous chemicals/solvents, low carbon emission), use of sustainable (e.g. reusable, biodegradable) packaging, guidance to minimize waste generation, use of wastes, safe disposal etc.

• Conformity Assessment
• As on date products notified under compulsory BIS certification: 675 under Scheme-I, 73 under Scheme-II & 8 under Scheme-X.
• In addition to this, A horizontal QCO with title Safety of Household, Commercial and Similar Electrical Appliances (Quality Control) Order, 2024 has been notified by DPIIT under Scheme-I. This QCO is applicable to electrical appliances working with rated voltage not exceeding 250V single phase ac or 415V three phase ac and at present includes 85 electrical items as an illustrative list.
• Further, Ministry of Heavy Industry has also notified Omnibus Technical Regulations (OTR) for machinery and electrical equipment safety under Scheme-X which covers 20 broad category of machines which ensure the safety of machineries as per Standards.
• New Licence granted including products covered for the first time under the Scheme-I during 01 April 2024 to 04 December 2024– 6451new licences were granted which include 77 products covered for the first time under Scheme-I during the period.
• The total number of products covered under product certification scheme: 1305.
• The total number of operative licences, held by domestic manufacturers as on date: 48621.

• Hallmarking
• During the period from 1st April, 2024 to 25th November, 2024 number of hallmarking registration has grown from 1,87,936 to 1,95,155 while the number of BIS recognized Assaying and Hallmarking centres have increased from 1540 to 1604. 26 Off-Site Centres were also recognized during the period. During the same period, 9.69 crore articles of gold and silver jewellery/artefacts have been hallmarked.
• Amendment to Quality control order for mandatory hallmarking of gold jewellery/artefacts has been issued on 05^thNovember, 2024 by the Govt. of India which has increased the number of districts covered under mandatory hallmarking from 343 districts of the country to 361 districts where there is at least one Assaying and Hallmarking Centre.
• In view of the implementation of Mandatory Hallmarking Order, a new online system for the automation of the assaying & hallmarking activities at AHCs was made functional with the new Hallmark consisting of six-digit HUID (Hallmarking Unique ID) since 01 July 2021. Since the launch of HUID based system for hallmarking, 44.28 crore articles of gold jewellery/artefacts have been hallmarked as on 25 November 2024.
• Automation of XRF activity in AHC through API, wherein manual entry of XRF data could not be carried out, was implemented from 01 September 2024.
• Hallmarking of gold Bullion in the fineness of 999 & 995 as per IS 1417:2016 wasstarted in October 2015. Under this scheme, so far, 58 licences have been granted to refineries/ India Government Mint for Gold bullion and coin as on 25 November, 2024.
• of India has launched Gold Monetization Scheme on 05 November 2015. So far, 48 A&H centres and one Jeweller have been qualified to act as Collection and Purity Testing Centres (CPTC).
• Under the Plan Scheme for Hallmarking, during this period, four AHCs were provided Central Assistance for setting up the centre in deficient location.
• Management Systems Certification

As on 25 November 2024, a total of 1461 operative licences exist under the Management systems certification schemes.

• Laboratory

One of the main pillars of conformity assessment is product testing to ascertain the conformity of products to relevant standards. BIS has established ten laboratories in the country to cater to the testing needs of samples generated from conformity assessment schemes.

There are 349 BIS-recognized labs, which include reputed R&D organizations, technical institutions, Government labs and labs in the private sector. Additionally, 285 government laboratories have been empanelled to support the need of testing in specialised areas. The services of such laboratories are utilized where it is economically not viable to develop test facilities in BIS laboratories. Test facilities are developed: New Complete Testing Facility created for 18 no. of products and New Textile Testing Laboratory has been established at Hyderabad.

• New Initiatives and Achievements

i Modernisation of BIS laboratories:

• o To modernize the testing activity in BIS laboratories, a major exercise for procurement of testing equipment was initiated for all BIS labs and approval for hosting Global Tender Enquiry for the procurement has been received from the Department of Expenditure and the Department of Consumer Affairs. The purchase Orders for 4 types of equipment worth Rs. 4.22 Cr has already been issued and purchase of other 24 types of equipment is at various stages of procurement process. Additionally, various other equipment have been procured by all laboratories at their end to create test facilities for products under the Quality Control Orders.
• o In addition to the procurement of new equipment, automation was another aspect taken up to enhance the overall capacity and output of BIS labs by reducing human intervention in testing as well as sample preparation processes.
• o Concerted efforts have been made to renovate the building and infrastructure in all BIS labs. The structural repair of outer and inner areas, beautifications, landscaping, installation of lifts, paintwork as well as the upgradation concerning the workstations, test benches, furniture, storages etc. have been covered in the renovation work.

1. Integration of testing equipment with Laboratory Information Management Software (LIMS)

• To increase the transparency and efficiency of the testing operations and reduce the human intervention in the recording of observations and calculating the results, a project to integrate the testing equipment to the Laboratory Information Management System Portal (LIMS) has been initiated and in the 1^stphase the automated equipment are being integrated to transfer the testing observations directly into the online system.

iii. Laboratory Recognition Scheme Activities

• In the current year, 35 outside laboratories have been recognised under the BIS laboratory recognition scheme covering which includes the testing laboratories of large-scale manufacturers such as TATA Steel, Adityapur Auto Cluster etc. In addition, 17 government laboratories have also been empanelled to carry out the testing of specialised product under the BIS Conformity Assessment Scheme.
• To facilitate the implementation of the Compulsory Registration Order on the essential requirements for CCTV security, BIS has amended the laboratory recognition scheme to incorporate the grant of recognition for Essential Requirements issued by the Ministries.

1. iv.Skill development activities:

• To support the Quality Control Personnel in various industries, BIS laboratories are organizing certificate courses and product specific capsule courses to provide exposure to the industries in upskilling their knowledge of the products and the testing methodologies. These courses are being organised in coordination with BIS Branch Offices by identifying the local industry clusters for training.
• To provide exposure to the students and faculties of educational institutions, BIS licensees, industries operating in the country and other government organisations, BIS labs are fortnightly organizing exposure visits to demonstrate the testing activities and laboratory operations.
• To further enrich the knowledge and skill base of the country, an internship scheme has been implemented in all BIS labs for college students to give them exposure to the laboratory activity of BIS. These Interns are required to carry out regular testing of the various products received by BIS Laboratories under different BIS conformity assessment schemes.

1. Support to other government laboratories:

• To support the government laboratories operating in the country in creating new facilities in critical areas and for upgradation of their testing infrastructure, BIS has implemented a scheme for providing financial support in the form of testing equipment. Till date, project worth Rs. 420.64 Cr has been approved under this scheme for the laboratories of NPL, NTH, Textile Committee, FSSAI etc.

• Information Technology Services

Complaints and Enforcement Portal: The Complaints and Enforcement portal is in operation for managing the Complaints handling and Enforcement related activities of BIS. The Complaints portal is also integrated with National Consumer Helpline (NCH) portal to receive complaints registered through NCH. In the year 2024-25 (till date) 3206 complaints were received and registered on the Complaints portal. Enforcement Portal facilitates workflow of enforcement case generation and record keeping of outcome of the enforcement activity, including decisions of the CA/Courts, details of penalties imposed, etc. The portal is linked with Complaints portal to provide data on complaints which resulted into an enforcement raid. In the year 2024-25 (till date), 107 enforcement cases have been entered in the portal.

BIS CARE App: The enhanced version of the BIS CARE App was launched on the World Standards Day 2024 celebration at NITS, Noida. The new version comes with loads of new features such as dedicated sections for information on Certification, Standards, BIS Act 2016, Rights of Consumers under BIS Act and Upcoming Trainings. Notification section has been incorporated to provide latest updates/alerts to the users in real-time. A section on popular Memes and Reels section has also been incorporated in the app to disseminate useful information on standards and its importance through funny memes and reels. The app has now crossed 8M downloads across Android and IOS platforms.

Several others portals are also being runt to support industry and facilitate consumers.