Government to come down hard on violation of consumers' rights

Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Narayankaji Shrestha today said the government was committed to take action against the violation of consumers' rights and anomalies for the promotion of a healthy market.

The government would focus on the welfare of consumers, he said at a discussion with the theme of 'Easy Availability of Consumer Goods, Customs Evasion and Smuggling' at the Ministry of Home. "The government will not give leeway to the law violation and anomalies. Consumers have the right to access quality essentials at a fair price."

The market monitoring would be made much effective in consultation with the stakeholders, he said.

The issues would be focused on the ways to make the monitoring effective, control the black marketing and the sale of substandard goods and provide consumers with quality goods at a reasonable price, he reiterated.

Stating that a proper monitoring is required in irregularities in industries and trade, he assured that problems facing entrepreneurs would be resolved.

Home Minister Shrestha stressed the need of correcting the weaknesses seen in business and of taking effective steps towards resolving problems if any. Stating the consumer rights were being restrained by some unscrupulous traders, he urged the consumer rights activists to provide suggestions to the government on topics for improvement.

DPM Shrestha reiterated that the incumbent government is stressing on good governance to establish social justice so that the general public get the fruits of prosperity. "The government is moving ahead with good governance as the precondition. The goal of prosperity can be given a concrete shape through good governance alone," he said adding that the prosperity goal can be achieved only by bringing the economy on track and that the government has focused its attention to making the State stronger.

On the occasion, consumer rights activists shared that the consumers were cheated in the purchase of every good and service, stressing on making the regulatory bodies more resourceful and rewriting of the Act related to consumer rights.

Traders and business persons called for the government's support in the promotion of trade and business and having the representation of genuine traders in the mechanism for facilitating trade and business.

Home Secretary Dinesh Kumar Bhattarai, Nepal Police Inspector General Basanta Kunwar, Armed Police Force Inspector General Raju Aryal, the Directors General of the Inland Revenue Department, the Consumer Protection Department and the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control, consumer rights advocates and members of the business community participated in the discussions.

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