The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : ‘Educate students about consumer rights’

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Wednesday, May 20, 2009
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

‘Educate students about consumer rights’

Special Correspondent

Consumer clubs set up in only 650 schools in the State
Centre sanctioned Rs. 10,000 for each school for the club

BANGALORE: Karnataka State Consumer Disputes Reddressal Commission Chairman Chandrasekharaiah on Tuesday urged Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister H. Halappa to encourage schools in the State to launch consumer clubs for creating awareness among children about consumers` rights.

Addressing presspersons after laying down office, Mr. Chandrasekharaiah, a retired judge of the Karnataka High Court, said that the Union Government sanctioned Rs. 10,000 for each school to launch a club.

He said that the State Government had not utilised the opportunity to get funds. Such clubs had been established only in 650 schools in the State. Potato farmers from Hassan district, coffee growers from Chikmagalur district and agriculturists from Haveri, Dharwad and Koppal districts had benefited from the Commission, he said.

A number of farmers were on the verge of committing suicide as they were unable to bear the burden of loans, as well as substandard seeds supplied by the companies, he said.

They were saved by the Commission, he added.

Mr. Chandrasekharaiah said though the law stipulated a 150-day time frame for clearing a case, many were pending since 1992. There were 17,130 cases as on 2004 April when he took charge, he said. Of these cases, 16,710 (94.54 per cent) had been cleared in the last five years. This was the highest by any consumer commission in the country.

In the district consumer forums, there were 45,704 cases, of which 41,739 (91.32 per cent) had been disposed of. A serious problem faced by the Commission, he said, was that both the Commission and five district forums in the city did not have proper premises and were functioning in congested buildings.

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