New Delhi, July 7 (IANS) The Centre’s Department of Consumer Affairs has asked automobile manufacturers to enhance efforts towards democratisation of repair manuals and videos accessible to all, fostering a robust ecosystem for third-party repair services and upholding consumer rights.

The issue was taken up by Secretary, Department Consumer Affairs, Nidhi Khare at a meeting with Automobile Associations and their partner companies in the Automobile Sector with the objective of onboarding auto companies onto the Right to Repair Portal India, according to an official statement issued on Saturday.

The meeting was attended by various representatives of Automobile Associations like ACMA, SIAM, ATMA, EPIC Foundation and companies including Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra, TVS, Royal Enfield, Renault and Bosch, Yamaha Motors India, Honda Car India were also present.

The Government has launched the Right to Repair Portal India (https://righttorepairindia.gov.in/) to provide consumers with easy access to information for repairing their products and enabling them to reuse it, thereby contributing to the circular economy as well as reduction of e-waste in a hassle-free manner.

In the meeting, it was emphasised that products that cannot be repaired or are subject to planned obsolescence—designed with an artificially limited lifespan—contribute to e-waste and compel consumers to purchase new products due to lack of repair options or extremely expensive repair options for reuse. Therefore, the goal is to eliminate obstacles such as restricted access to tools or repair information, ensuring that consumers have complete ownership of the products they purchase.

“Over time, it has been noted that repair services are increasingly constrained due to significant delays in service and absence of repair documentation for vehicles. Additionally, products are sometimes repaired at excessively high costs, leaving consumers dissatisfied with repair services which often delays repairs, even if necessary, due to limited repair options,” it was pointed out at the meeting.

A major constraint is also the availability of genuine spare parts at affordable prices. Often their unavailability at affordable prices forces consumers towards purchasing counterfeit spare parts from the grey markets. Further, lack of accessible information for minor repairs or do it yourself guides, exacerbates consumer distress, adding to their financial burden and overall dissatisfaction.

Stress was also laid on offering roadside assistance to consumers, especially on highways and introducing a repairability index of the vehicle that provides information on the life of the product, easy repair ecosystem, availability of spare parts, detailed manual on self-repair, warranty on different parts.

These measures aim to empower consumers with informed choices regarding the post-sales service of their products, besides ease in enjoying their products fully. The meeting concluded with the consensus to onboard the Right to Repair Portal and adopt a greater collaborative approach in providing a vibrant post-sale services to the consumers.

The discussions also covered topics such as aligning standardisation of parts along with standardisation of skilled workmanship, companies developing catalogues that should benefit consumers for post-purchase service and longevity of product life, and measures for addressing deceptive practices in repair workshops in the name of motor insurance that contribute to unnecessary generation of plastic waste.

It was stressed that details of Companies Service Centre across India and Recognition third-parties repairers, if any, by the companies and Information on country of origin to be explicitly mentioned.

Some companies like TVS have shared their post-onboarding experiences on the portal. Companies including Tata Motors and TVS discussed how, based on complaints received from the National Consumer Helpline, they identified key repair issues and subsequently created repair videos accessible to consumers via their official YouTube channels.

–IANS

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Shivamogga, July 6 (IANS) At least three persons were killed and two others injured as two cars collided head-on in Karnataka’s Shivamogga district on Saturday.

The deceased were identified as Chandru, Siddanna and Imam Saab, all residents of Belagere village near Challakere town in Chitradurga district.

The injured were shifted to the Meggan Hospital in Shivamogga.

According to police, the incident occurred due to overspeeding.

One of the cars was en route to Sagara town from Shivamogga and the other car was coming towards Shivamogga from Sagara town.

Kumasi Police have rushed to the spot and taken up the investigation.

Both vehicles were severely mangled in the crash.

Details are awaited.

–IANS

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New Delhi, July 6 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday paid tributes to Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee, the founder of Bharatiya Jana Sangh, on his birth anniversary.

“Respectful tributes to Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee on his birth anniversary, who made India proud with his strong nationalist views. His dedication and sacrifice for the motherland will always inspire the citizens of the country,” said the Prime Minister in a post on X.

As the nation observes his birth anniversary, here is an account of how PM Modi not only championed his ideals but also realised his dream of ‘One Nation’.

Modi Archive, a popular X handle, on Saturday, shared information on PM Modi steadfastly upholding Mookerjee’s beliefs and ardently pursuing his efforts to unify the country. It accentuates the special tribute paid by PM Modi to the Bharatiya Jan Sangh founder in 2013.

It informs that after becoming BJP’s campaign committee chairman for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, PM Modi led his first rally at the spot where Mookerjee was arrested in 1953. This event also marked Mookerjee’s ‘Balidan Diwas.’

The public rally was held in Punjab’s Pathankot, the very location where the Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder was arrested in 1953 and kept in custody for 45 days. His sudden death in prison stunned the nation, leading to the abolition of the Permit System in J&K, shortly thereafter.

Mookerjee, a strong proponent of United India, passed away while fighting for the integration of Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of the nation.

In 2019, the Modi government actualised Syama Prasad Mookerjee’s vision by revoking Article 370, thereby paving the way for the revocation of its special status. A few months later, on January 1, 2020, the government took another historic step by abolishing the last traces of Jammu and Kashmir’s enforced autonomy, thereby locking Mookerjee’s dream of a fully integrated India.

Also, the government ceased operations at the Lakhanpur Toll Plaza in Pathankot, the very site where Mookerjee was arrested, a location signifying the artificial legal barrier between J&K and the rest of India.

–IANS

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Hubballi, (Karnataka) July 6 (IANS) Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Pralhad Joshi, on Saturday demanded a probe into bomb threats allegedly issued to the Sri Rama Sena for opening helplines for victims of ‘love jihad’.

Speaking to reporters in Hubballi on Saturday, Joshi said, “The closure of Facebook accounts of Sri Rama Sena is wrong. It is also wrong to issue bomb threats. Violence isn’t right always. The state government should investigate the matter.”

Earlier, addressing the media, Gangadhar Kulkarni, a senior Sri Rama Sena leader stated that after they began a campaign against ‘love jihad’ by opening a helpline on May 29, bomb threats and life threats were given.

The Sena has got more than 170 such calls already and the threat calls are made through internet, he alleged.

The Facebook accounts of all Sri Rama Sena members and the main page have been closed for the last two days, Kulkarni alleged.

“We don’t know whether this was done by jihadis or the government. This has been done to prevent the awareness campaign on love jihad by us,” Kulkarni slammed.

“All Facebook accounts should be allowed to operate, failing which, statewide protests would be launched,” Kulkarni warned.

–IANS

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Srinagar, July 6 (IANS) An Army soldier has died in an encounter between the security forces and the terrorists in Jammu & Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Saturday.

Officials said that an Army soldier, injured during the encounter between the security forces and the hiding terrorists in a village of Kulgam district, succumbed to critical injuries in the hospital.

Security forces started a cordon and search operation in Modergam village of Kulgam early on Saturday, following reports about the presence of terrorists in the village.

“As the security forces came close to the hiding terrorists, they fired at the security forces triggering an encounter,” officials said.

The exchange of fire between the security forces and terrorists is continuing in the area.

–IANS

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