The Department of Consumer Affairs will next week hold a meeting with top honchos of companies across sectors to ensure speedy out-of-court settlement of consumer complaints with regard to products and advertisements.

Letters will be sent to around 200 companies that are partnering with the National Consumer Helpline (NCH), as part of the Ministry’s convergence initiative, seeking e-mail IDs of top brass, such as CEOs, Managing Directors, Chairman, said sources, adding that the meeting is to be chaired by Hem Pande, Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs.

Under the convergence model, NCH partners with companies who take a proactive approach to resolve consumer complaints in an efficient manner.

This is an initiative to facilitate out-of-court-settlements, and NCH acts as a bridge between consumers and service providers for free, fair and fast redressal through participative co-operation.

According to the NCH website, in May 2016 alone, it had received 19,075 complaints and SMS online, out of which 14,013 calls were handled at the toll-free number and 5,072 complaints were reported on the NCH-Online Complaint Management System.

“This is the highest count that NCH has handled in its 11 years of operations,” it said.

Suresh Misra, Professor, Indian Institute of Public Administration and Project Director, National Consumer Helpline, told BusinessLine , that “such meetings are strategic initiatives being taken to strengthen partnerships with companies and look at improving ways to tackle consumer grievances.

“Efforts are being made to broaden the base of partners for the convergence model as well as get companies from across sectors on board.”

Sectors such as e-commerce, for instance, are not being monitored by any regulator.

As per NCH, of the total sector-wise calls made, 22 per cent were related to products, 18 per cent to e-commerce, 17 per cent to telecom, 5 per cent to banking, 2 per cent each to automobiles, insurance, real estate, DTH/cable, travel & tours, weights & measures, and 26 per cent to ‘other’ sectors.

According to information given to Parliament by Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, during April 2015 to March 2016, a total of 53,185 complaints were forwarded by the NCH to convergence companies and the responses received from them were 82 per cent.

The move is part of the Ministry’s push for a ‘self-regulatory code’ by industry to protect consumer interests, covering six broad principles — safety of products and services, building sustainable supply chains, marketing products ethically, non-indulgence in unfair trade practices, complying with competition and anti-trust laws and prompt response to consumer complaints.

In March this year, the Ministry also signed a memorandum of understanding of this code with industry chambers, such as Assocham, CII, DICCI, FICCI and PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

(With inputs from Aditi Nigam)

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