VOICE state partners meet

Consumer VOICE organised a state partners meet at its office in New Delhi on March 3, 2017. Partners from around 11 states participated in the meeting. The daylong planning-cum-interaction was marked by exchange of ideas about various project initiatives. It helped in strengthening the collaboration between VOICE and its state partners. The technical sessions by experts on different issues covered under projects will help project partners in undertaking and completing various advocacy and consumer initiatives.

World Consumer Rights Day: Building a Digital World Consumers Can Trust

Every year, 15 March is observed as World Consumers Rights Day (WCRD), as a means of spreading global awareness about consumer rights. World Consumer Rights Day is an opportunity to promote the basic rights of all consumers, demanding that those rights be respected and protected.

On March 14 and 15, 2017, the historic G20 Consumer Summit – the first G20 event to focus entirely on issues that affect consumers – was held in Berlin, Germany. Entitled ‘Building a Digital World Consumers Can Trust’, the Summit was co-hosted by the German Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection (BMJV), Consumers International (CI), and the Federation of German Consumer Organisations (vzbv). Ashim Sanyal, COO, Consumer VOICE, was a panellist in the session on ‘E-commerce and online services’.

Sanyal also participated in the second annual Google Consumer Summit held in Berlin on 14 March.

Consumer Conversation Series: Internet safety

As part of its larger initiative to foster consumer education and empowerment, Consumer VOICE organised the second workshop of the Consumer Conversation Series on March 21, 2017, at Gulmohar Hall, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. The theme was ‘Internet Safety: Staying Safe Online’.

COO Ashim Sanyal welcomed the panel comprising of Vineeta Dixit – Public Policy, Google; Suhail Siddiqui – vice president, Just Dial; and GM MuthuKumaran – technical director, National Informatics Centre.

Among the more than 100 participants were students, professionals, representatives of academic institutions and consumers. They addressed various questions on safety aspects to the experts and also shared their own experiences.

Road Safety: Activity update

Consumer VOICE with its state partners submitted letters to members of parliament in support of the immediate passage of Motor Vehicle Amendment Bill (MVA) in the current session of parliament.