Food and consumer protection minister Shyam Rajak (centre) inaugurates the seminar in Patna on Saturday. Picture by Ranjeet Kumar Dey

Patna, Dec. 24: The state government has decided to depute one executive in all districts to spread awareness on consumer rights. The officials will co-ordinate with the district consumer forums to ensure speedy justice to customers in distress.

Addressing an audience on National Consumers Day, food and consumer protection department minister Shyam Rajak said Bihar was walking shoulder to shoulder with most of the other states in issues concerning consumer protection.

“The cases lodged by consumers in the district and state consumer forums are receiving good response. Of the 15,000 cases registered with the district forums, 10,000 have been disposed, while the state consumer forum has disposed around 75,000 of 87,000 cases. There have been complaints about cases taking a lot of time to being resolved. The state government will soon depute one official in each district to help such people. The respective district magistrates would depute them and they will co-ordinate with the district forums and help people in need,” the minister said.

Rajak said the role of the media was very important in spreading the right message to the consumers.

Consumers can call up a toll free number (18003456188) to know about their rights.

Some officials said since the inception of the Consumer Protection Act in 1986, the state has been one among the first to implement the same but needed its teeth to be sharpened. Since disposal of cases take a long time, there was a proposal to set a 90-day deadline by which the order needs to be pronounced.

“The state government is trying through different means to make people aware of consumer rights. People having any doubts can call up the toll free number and get detailed information,” Rajak said.