Networking of Consumer Fora to be completed this year: Pawar

New Delhi, Aug 17 (UNI) Union Agriculture, Food&Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs Minister Sharad Pawar today said a project to computerise and network state consumer commissions and district fora will be completed by this year's end.

The scheme executed at an estimated cost of Rs 49 crore is in its final phase, Mr Pawar said while inaugurating a conference of the Presidents, State Commissions and the Secretaries in charge of Consumer Affairs in the States and Union Territories.

The Minister informed that Central Government was extending liberal grants for infrastructural improvement of the fora. It had already sanctioned Rs 98 crore for 18 states and over Rs 47 crore to 16 state governments as the first tranche of assistance, even as the State Commissions and District Fora were the responsibility of the states concerned.

He stated that the process of increasing the number of members of the National Commission from 5 to 9 was currently on, to further strengthen the commission. Also, the law was amended to enable the senior most member to act as the working President to ensure uninterrupted functioning of the fora.

The Minister asked the conference to deliberate and consider the adoption of a uniform formula with regard to remuneration to the members.

Observing that ''the need of the hour is to change the common man's perception that the Consumer Fora have slipped onto the path of civil courts, making litigation long drawn-out and taking several years to dispose off the cases involving small compensation,'' Mr Pawar called upon presiding officers of the Fora to take a pledge that they would dispose of the cases within the time norm.

The conference, organised by the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission , was presided over by Mr H R Bhardwaj, Minister for Law and Justice.

UNI