MoU signed for setting up Centre for Consumer Studies at IIPA

New Delhi, Jun 29 (UNI) Department of Consumer Affairs and the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for setting up a Centre for Consumer Studies (CCS) here.

The signatories to the MoU are Mr Sanjay Singh, Joint Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs and Prof S P Verma, Director, IIPA.

The CCS is being sponsored and funded by the Department of Consumer Affairs.

The objectives of the Centre are : --Conduct/facilitate in-depth research in the area of consumer protection and consumer welfare with special reference to rural India; --Organize and help other organisations in training of personnel engaged in administration and adjudication of consumer justice in the country; --Network with the other institutions/organisations, nationally and internationally, working for the cause of consumer rights protection; --Organise seminars/workshops/conferences/round tables on the contemporary issues relating to consumer protection; --Sensitise trade and industry and the service providers to the requirements of the consumers, especially to alternative and informal mechanisms to resolve their complaints and redress their grievances; --Create resource centre for future research and publish books/ monographs/occasional papers to fill up existing knowledge gap and --Provide policy inputs to the Department of Consumer Affairs from time to time.

The work programme of the Centre will be decided and supervised by a Monitoring Committee with the Secretary (Consumer Affairs), as Chairman and the Department will provide grant-in-aid to the tune of Rs. 8.50 crore from Consumer Welfare Fund for a period of five years to the Centre.

UNI