India
Some 4.2 lakh cases of consumers are pending in consumer forums across the country, and at least 70 per cent of them are in district forums
Updated : Nov 23, 2017, 08:30 AM IST
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday pulled up top bureaucrats in view of increasing number of consumer complaints. At the 23rd interaction through PRAGATI — the ICT-based, multi-modal platform — with top Central bureaucrats and chief secretaries of various states, he emphasised on the need for improvement in the administrative arrangement to benefit consumers. Some 4.2 lakh cases of consumers are pending in consumer forums across the country, and at least 70 per cent of them are in district forums.
Officials briefed the PM on the action taken to ensure speedy and effective disposal of consumer grievances. Citing reasons behind the inordinate delay in disposal of complaints, it was mentioned that inadequate infrastructure at consumer forums had affected their functioning. PM's initiative of interacting with bureaucrats so far has led review of 200 projects with a total investment of Rs. 9.31 lakh crore.
Modi also reviewed the progress of nine infrastructure projects in Railway, road, power, and renewable energy sectors spread over several states including Uttarakhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Nagaland, Assam, Maharashtra, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. These projects are cumulatively worth over Rs 30,000 crore.
He also reviewed the progress in implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY). He said that funds accruing to the District Mineral Foundations (DMFs) should be utilized to strategically focus upon and eliminate major development issues or deficits that these districts currently face. He said this should be done in a focused way, so as to achieve the greatest possible, tangible results by 2022, which marks 75 years of independence.