Key Highlights 

• Strengthening of Consumer Commissions (SCC) Scheme: Persistent vacancies, both at State & District Consumer Commissions, are severely impacting Scheme’s effectiveness.
  • Out of total 36 sanctioned posts of President of State Commissions 18 (50%) posts are vacant.
• Consumer Welfare Fund (CWF): Only 71.5% of Revised Estimates (RE) for 2024-25 relating to CWF has been utilized. 
  • Disbursement of funds under Price Stabilisation Fund (PSF) to several states & key agencies, like NAFED, Kendriya Bhandar, has not been uniform.
• Computerization & Computer Networking of Consumer Commissions: Its expansion has streamlined case management, reduced delays, and improved access to justice 
• Other: Currently, Indian Standard Time is not being mandatorily adopted by all Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) and Internet Service Providers (ISPs).
  • Lack of uniformity in time across different systems presents significant challenges for law enforcement agencies (LEAs) in investigating cybercrimes.

Key Recommendations

• Take immediate and proactive steps to ensure that states and UTs prioritize the filling of vacant posts within a fixed time-frame.
• Steps need to be taken to implement a more streamlined fund release process to minimize delays in disbursement and ensure the uniform distribution of funds.