By: Staff Writer
Colombo (LNW): In a bid to strengthen consumer rights and streamline the grievance reprisal process, the Cabinet of Ministers approved a comprehensive program presented by the Trade, Commerce and Food Security Minister Nalin Fernando.
At the heart of this endeavour is the establishment of a National Operations Centre, a dedicated hub tasked with coordinating and executing special raids through a collaborative effort.
The initiative aims to significantly reduce the time and effort invested in investigating customer complaints and making decisions on them.
Its key components include educational initiatives targeting both consumers and producers, with a focus on instilling awareness about consumer rights and promoting fair trade practices.
“This will be a pivotal shift towards decentralised investigation processes, bringing the resolution of complaints to the district level for increased efficiency.
The joint program is poised to revolutionise the enforcement of consumer protection measures,” Cabinet Co-Spokesman and Minister Bandula Gunawardena said at the post-Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
Legal provisions have been reinforced within the framework of the Consumer Affairs Authority Act No. 9 of 2003, empowering the Consumer Affairs Authority to intervene and address consumer complaints.
Concurrently, the Department of Measurement, Standards, and Services, instituted by the Measurement Units, Standards, and Services Act No. 35 of 1995, will join forces with the Consumer Affairs Authority to conduct market raids aimed at safeguarding consumer rights.
“With a concerted effort to educate and empower both consumers and producers, the initiative embodies a forward-looking approach to fair and transparent trade practices, ultimately fostering a more equitable marketplace for all stakeholders involved,” he added
Parliamentary Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) raised questions regarding the responsibility of the Consumer Affairs Authority.
The committee was of the opinion that although the main responsibility of the Authority is to protect consumer rights through empowering consumers, streamlining trade and good promotions, the Authority is not working according to that vision.
Accordingly, the Committee recommended the Secretary to the Ministry of Trade, Commerce and Food Security to report to COPE on how the Consumer Affairs Authority can deal with the protection of consumer rights.
The Authority was also told to prepare a program that goes beyond traditional price control to control commodity prices.
The committee’s attention was particularly focused on the current egg price control. Thus, instructions were given for the two Secretaries to the Ministries of Trade and Agriculture to coordinate with the relevant officials to prepare a price formula to determine the price of an egg.
The consumer affairs authority was also instructed to act promptly to appoint a permanent Director General. It was disclosed that there has only been an Acting Director General appointed for many years now.
