Parliamentary Panels: Scrutiny on Consumer Rights and Product Regulations

Parliamentary panels are set to investigate various consumer-rights issues, focusing on sugar in baby foods, banking sector rights, medicine price rises, and waste management. Key committees will explore essential commodity availability, food grain storage and transportation, and regulation of packaged commodities. The initiative is led by respective committee leaders.

Parliamentary panels have intensified their focus on critical consumer-rights issues such as sugar content in packaged baby foods, safeguarding rights in the banking sector, and the escalating prices of medicines.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, under the leadership of DMK's Kanimozhi, plans to scrutinize key issues, including the availability of essential commodities, particularly petroleum and petroleum products, and measures to prevent foodgrain wastage in FCI godowns.

Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Committee on Chemicals and Fertilisers, led by Trinamool Congress' Kirti Azad, will address the rising costs of medicines and the need for self-sufficiency in Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients. The investigation will cover stringent control of spurious medicines and the establishment of plastic waste management centers. They will also focus on ethanol and biofuel production, the role of BIS, and expanding NTH's capabilities in product testing.

(With inputs from agencies.)