Nasimuddin also expressed his worries about the digital divide between urban and rural demographics, where the latter were not yet aware of their rights as a consumer.
CHENNAI: The consumer has a right to get whatever he is promised; however in most cases the consumer rarely gets even half of the benefits that is advertised by a product, said Md Nasimuddin, IAS, Principal Secretary to the Food and Consumer Protection Department of Tamil Nadu.
Nasimuddin made the comments in his address as the chief guest at a seminar on ‘Food Safety, consumer product safety and Misleading Advertisments’ as part of the world consumer rights day celebrations on Monday, at the JBAS College for Women.
“Much of the advertising fails at this front (delivery). The consumer has a right to get what he is promised,” Nasimuddin said, adding that the entire responsibility of protecting consumer rights was not of the government department alone, but of all stakeholders, including civil society.
Nasimuddin also expressed his worries about the digital divide between urban and rural demographics, where the latter were not yet aware of their rights as a consumer. “With more and more e-commerce coming in, we face a big challenge in the years to come. All stakeholders must come together and work on solutions,” he said.
Explaining the three stages that a consumer had to cross-before purchase, time while making a purchase and after purchase, Nasimuddin said that it was there needed to be an effective redressal mechanism, if the consumer was not satisfied with the product. The role of government agencies, as people kept consuming more, was nascent and evolving and officials like himself were trying to make it work, he said.
Speakers at the seminar included Nirmala Desikan, Chairman and Managing trustee of Consumer Association of India (CAI) and Amanda Ling, Director General, Consumers International among others.
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