Central Consumer Protection Authority established to promote, protect and enforce the rights of consumers

New Delhi: The Consumer Protection Act, 2019 has come into force from 20th July, 2020. As provided in section 10 of the Act, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has been established w.e.f. 24th July, 2020.

For operationalization of the CCPA, Additional Secretary in the Department of Consumer Affairs, Smt. Nidhi Khare has been assigned the charge of Chief Commissioner, Joint Secretary in the Department Shri Anupam Mishra as Commissioner, Director General, BIS Shri Pramod K Tiwari as Director General (Investigation) and Director General, National Test House, Shri Vineet Mathur as Additional Director General (Investigation) in the Central Consumer Protection Authority w.e.f. 29th July, 2020 to exercise the powers and discharge the functions under the Act.

Meanwhile, the CCPA will start functioning in the premises of IIPA. The support staff is being arranged from the Centre for Consumer Studies of The Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) and the National Consumer Helpline, which have been financially aided by the Department since 2007.

The objective of the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) is to promote, protect and enforce the rights of consumers as a class. It will be empowered to conduct investigations into violation of consumer rights and institute complaints / prosecution, order recall of unsafe goods and services, order discontinuation of unfair trade practices and misleading advertisements, impose penalties on manufacturers/endorsers/publishers of misleading advertisements.

For giving effect to the provisions of the Act, the following rules have also been notified and made effective from 20th July, 2020:

The Consumer Protection (General) Rules, 2020
The Consumer Protection (Central Consumer Protection Council) Rules, 2020.
The Consumer Protection (Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions) Rules, 2020.
The Consumer Protection (Mediation) Rules, 2020.
The Consumer Protection (Salary, allowances and conditions of service of President and Members of the State Commission and District Commission) Model Rules, 2020.
The Consumer Protection (Qualification for appointment, method of recruitment, procedure of appointment, term of office, resignation and removal of the President and members of the State Commission and District Commission) Rules, 2020.
The Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020. [effective from 23 July, 2020].

The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has also notified the following Regulations effective from 24th July, 2020:

The Consumer Protection (Consumer Commission Procedure) Regulations, 2020.
The Consumer Protection (Administrative Control over the State Commission and the District Commission) Regulations, 2020.
The Consumer Protection (Mediation) Regulations, 2020.