Enactment of Consumer Protection Act, 1986 has set in motion a veritable consumer movement in the country.
Under the Consumer Protection Act, 1986, three tier quasi-judiciary machinery has been set up at District, State and Central levels.
It aims for better protection of the interests of consumers and to provide simple and speedy redressal of consumer disputes.
A countrywide multimedia “Consumer Awareness” campaign titled ‘Jago Grahak Jago” is being conducted on various issues related to consumer rights and responsibilities across diverse subjects.
The States/UT have been actively associated in the program especially in expanding the geographic reach of the campaign on consumer awareness.
The Department of consumer affairs also operates the Consumer Welfare Fund to strengthen the Consumer Movement in the country.
It is by the way of financial assistance to the State/UTs, NGOs to raise awareness amongst consumers and as also to educational institutes for research on consumer issues and running of centers on consumer studies.
E-Prison
All States and UTs except the States of Manipur, Nagaland, Sikkim and UT of Lakshadweep, have implemented the E-prisons network.
It is developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) with the financial support from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
An allocation of 100 crore was approved to procure Information and Commercial Technologies (ICT) setup components like Hardware (Desktop systems, printers, web cameras, finger print, scanners etc.) and the Network {Local Access Network (LAN)/Broadband/Leased Line etc}.
Under E-prison program, the National Prisons Information Portal (NPIP) is a citizen centric portal showing statistical data of various prisons in the country.
It also facilitates online visit request and grievance redressal.
The portal facilitates visitors to vist and also for showcases and sells the products manufactured in various prisons of the country by inmates (KaraBazaar Portal).
Jal Charcha
Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation released the inaugural issue of the monthly magazine of the Ministry – Jal Charcha – in New Delhi recently.
Jal Charcha is the third magazine being published by the Ministry. The first is Namami Gange by National Mission for Clean Ganga and second is Jalansh by Central Water Commission.
The magazine is also an effort to bring best practices in water sector to the national stage and move ahead in the direction of creating water consciousness in the minds of the people of the country.
Three regular series – Rivers, Dams and Conservation – will inform readers about the country’s rivers and water storage projects and best practices.
The idea is to provide an opportunity to all stakeholders to express themselves on pressing matters of water management.
Cyber Crime prevention against Women and Children
It is a scheme under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
It aims to have an effective mechanism to handle cybercrimes against women and children in the country.
The main features of the scheme are given below:
Online cybercrime reporting platform
One national level cyber forensic laboratory
Training of Police officers, judges & prosecutors
Cybercrime awareness activities
Research & Development
‘Police’ and ‘Public’ are State subject as per the Constitution of India
So States are primarily responsible for prevention, detection and investigation of crime through their Law Enforcement Agencies.
The Agencies take legal action as per the relevant sections of the IPC and the IT Act, 2000.
The online cybercrime reporting portal www.cybercrime.gov.in has been operationalized.
