Food, Supplies & Consumer Welfare Department, ORISSA

• This Charter is a declaration of our commitment to achieve excellence in the formulation and implementation of Policies and Procedures of the Food, Supplies and Consumer Welfare Department for the benefits of the public at large.
• This charter is prepared with the objective of putting forth commitments of the services provided by different wings of the Government to their clients, the standards of the services provided by them and how these services can be effectively utilised.
• Knowledge and awareness among the general public and the consumers about these charters will certainly create an atmosphere to persuade public service providers to make their systems more transparent, purposeful and effective.This will also make the service providers set high standards and develop systems to measure how best they can carry out their charter commitments. It is a tool for the public to derive benefit as best as it can.
• The Consumer movement is said to have dawned in India with the enactment of Consumer Protection Act, 1986 and this act has set in motion a revolution in the field of consumer’s rights. This act provides an extremely good opportunity to the consumers for quick redressal of their grievances. It is a unique piece of social legislation, the basic objective is to provide speedy and inexpensive justice to the consumers and it is said to be a milestone in the history of socio-economic legislation in India. The act enshrines the following rights to the consumers :
  • Right to be protected against the marketing of goods and services which are hazardous to life and safety.
  • Rights to be informed about the quality, quantity, potency, purity, standard and price of goods or services so as to protect the consumer against unfair trade practices.
  • Right to be assured, wherever possible, access to a variety of goods and services at competitive prices.
  • Rights to be heard and to be assured that consumers’ interests will receive due consideration at appropriate Fora.
  • Rights to seek redressal against unfair trade practices or unscrupulous exploitation of consumers.
  • Right to consumer education.
• Responsibilities of Consumers :

  For exercising rights, we should :

  • Obtain information regarding quality and price before making any purchase.
  • Be careful about false and/or misleading advertisements.
  • Purchase goods having ISI mark, Agmark etc. as and where available for safety and quality.
  • Obtain proper receipt / cash memo for purchases made and guarantee / warranty card duly stamped and signed by the seller, wherever applicable.
  • Approach District Forum, State Commission or National Commission for redressal of consumer grievances against sale of defective goods or deficient services or adoption of unfair or restrictive trade practices.
• Subsidised Edible Oil
  • Subsidised RBD Palmolein @ 1 litre per card is being made available for distribution.
• Procurement of Paddy
  • Paddy is procured from farmers at the minimum support price under price support operations.
• Our Responsibilities
  • We administer the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 under which consumer redressal agencies at the district and State level have been set up to provide speedy and inexpensive relief to the consumer with genuine grievances.
  • We administer the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 under which consumer redressal agencies at the district and State level have been set up to provide speedy and inexpensive relief to the consumer with genuine grievances.
  • We administer the Essential Commodities Act 1955 that has been enacted to ensure easy availability of essential commodities to consumers and protect them from exploitation by traders.
  • We administer the Standards of Weights & Measures Act, 1976 and the Standards of Weights & Measures (Enforcement) Act, 1985 for the regulation of weights and measures, weighing and measuring instruments in the State.
  • We monitor the open market prices of essential commodities and take appropriate steps to check any unwarranted increase in prices of such commodities and ensure easy availability of these commodities in the state.
  • We administer the Emblems & Names (Prevention of Improper use) Act, 1950, that provides for preventing the improper use of certain emblems and names (specified in the schedule of the Act) for professional and commercial purposes.
  • We administration of BIS, standardisation and certification.
• Our Commitment

  We commit to make all endeavours.

  • To deal with all applications for recommendation to Government of India for financial assistance from the Consumer welfare fund within the time frame set out in Annexure – I.
  • To deal with all applications received under the provisions of the weights & Measures Acts and Rules made there under within the time frame set out in Annexure – II.
  • To give prompt attention to public grievances and dispose them off within the time frame set out in Annexure – III.
  • To take all possible steps, including amendment of the consumer Protection Act, 1986 and rules made there under wherever required to facilitate the speedy disposal of cases filed in the consumer redressal agencies
  • To establish the apex advisory body, namely, State Consumer Protection Council (SCPC) and Dist. Consumer Protection Council (DCPC) under the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 to promote and protect the rights of the consumers and hold regular meetings thereof.
  • To monitor market prices of essential commodities closely, take all possible steps that such prices remain at reasonable levels and provide information on market prices of essential commodities on the department’s website, updated daily and to ensure easy availability of these commodities across the State.
  • To provide on the Department’s website, all information that may be useful to be public including information relating to the various laws administered by the department, market prices of essential commodities, consumer Welfare Fund, application forms for obtaining financial assistance from the consumer welfare fund or approvals under the various provisions of the Weights & Measures Acts and Rules made there under, fax / telephone/ E-mail address of officers dealing with various subjects in the Department and to regularly update such information.
• Annexure – I

  Time frame for Disposal of Application for Assistance under the Consumer Welfare Fund.

  Application for Financial Assistance

  Applicant to be intimated within 15 working days of receipt if the eligibility criteria are not met or application is incomplete. Decision on eligible and complete applications to be taken and intimated within four weeks from the date of receipt of recommendations of the District Collectors where called for and for released of funds from Central Consumer Welfare Fund the applications will be forwarded after due approval of steering committee within four weeks.

  Applicant to be intimated within 15 working days of receipt if the eligibility criteria are not met or application is incomplete. Decision on eligible and complete applications to be taken and intimated within four weeks from the date of receipt of recommendations of the District Collectors where called for and for released of funds from Central Consumer Welfare Fund the applications will be forwarded after due approval of steering committee within four weeks.

  Release of Grant

  Grant will be released after issue of sanction in cases approved by the Standing Committee on CWF within 30 days after the applicant complies with all the pre-release requirements of the sanction by State Government/ Government of India.

  Settlement of Accounts

  Accounts will be settled within 45 days after the submission of audited statement of expenditure and meeting other requirements prescribed in the terms and conditions of the grants.

• Annexure – II

  Time frame for dealing with Applications under The Weights & Measures Acts & Rules made there under.

  1	(a)	Registration under Rule 35 of the Packaged Commodities Rules 1977 Including Shorter Address.	Within 20 days from the date of receipt of complete Application.
  	(b)	Return of incomplete Application forms for removal of deficiencies	Within 10 days from the date of reject.
  2	Application for model approval under the provisions of model Approval Rules.
  	(a)	Initial processing of application and return of incomplete application.	Within 15 days from the date of receipt of application.
  	(b)	Processing of final test report from the laboratory for notification in the Gazette.	Within 90 days
  3	(a)	Application for manufacture of non- standard weights or measures under the General Rules.	Within 45 days from the date of receipt of  complete application.
  	(b)	Return of incomplete Application form for removal of deficiencies.	Within 10 days from the date of receipt of application.

• Annexure – III

  Time frame for Disposal of Public Grievances

  Acknowledgement	Within 15 days.
  Referring the grievance to the concerned Organization  (if it does not directly concern the Department) under intimation to the petitioner with an advice to inform the petitioner directly of the outcome within 3 months.	Within 15 days.

• Our Responsibilities
  • We administer the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 under which consumer redressal agencies at the district and State level have been set up to provide speedy and inexpensive relief to the consumer with genuine grievances.
  • We administer the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 under which consumer redressal agencies at the district and State level have been set up to provide speedy and inexpensive relief to the consumer with genuine grievances.
  • We administer the Essential Commodities Act 1955 that has been enacted to ensure easy availability of essential commodities to consumers and protect them from exploitation by traders
  • We administer the Standards of Weights & Measures Act, 1976 and the Standards of Weights & Measures (Enforcement) Act, 1985 for the regulation of weights and measures, weighing and measuring instruments in the State.
  • We monitor the open market prices of essential commodities and take appropriate steps to check any unwarranted increase in prices of such commodities and ensure easy availability of these commodities in the state.
  • We administer the Emblems & Names (Prevention of Improper use) Act, 1950, that provides for preventing the improper use of certain emblems and names (specified in the schedule of the Act) for professional and commercial purposes.
  • We administration of BIS, standardisation and certification.
• Our Responsibilities

  We commit to make all endeavours.

  • To deal with all applications for recommendation to Government of India for financial assistance from the Consumer welfare fund within the time frame set out in Annexure – I.
  • To deal with all applications received under the provisions of the weights & Measures Acts and Rules made there under within the time frame set out in Annexure – II.
  • To give prompt attention to public grievances and dispose them off within the time frame set out in Annexure – III.
  • To take all possible steps, including amendment of the consumer Protection Act, 1986 and rules made there under wherever required to facilitate the speedy disposal of cases filed in the consumer redressal agencies.
  • To establish the apex advisory body, namely, State Consumer Protection Council (SCPC) and Dist. Consumer Protection Council (DCPC) under the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 to promote and protect the rights of the consumers and hold regular meetings thereof.
  • To monitor market prices of essential commodities closely, take all possible steps that such prices remain at reasonable levels and provide information on market prices of essential commodities on the department’s website, updated daily and to ensure easy availability of these commodities across the State.
  • To provide on the Department’s website, all information that may be useful to be public including information relating to the various laws administered by the department, market prices of essential commodities, consumer Welfare Fund, application forms for obtaining financial assistance from the consumer welfare fund or approvals under the various provisions of the Weights & Measures Acts and Rules made there under, fax / telephone/ E-mail address of officers dealing with various subjects in the Department and to regularly update such information.