New Delhi: The ‘Make in India’ initiative of the Modi government is turning into ‘Fake in India’ due to the large scale production of counterfeit goods, state Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister Ranendra Pratap Swain said Tuesday.
Speaking after attending the national consultation meet called by the Union Consumer Welfare, Food and Public Distribution Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, Ranendra said he had urged the Centre to prevent black marketing in the country.
He said the large-scale production of counterfeit goods, especially in the automobile and pharmaceutical sector, is a matter of concern and the Centre must stop it.
Ranendra also sought the Centre’s support to establish a consumer protection court in the state. He said there should be a state-Centre sharing model in setting up courts. The Supreme Court had directed the state to set up consumer protection courts in all districts.
Raising the issue of delay in releasing subsidies to the state Ranendra said, “I have urged the Centre for early release of subsidies under Central schemes. Due to the delay in releasing funds the state has to bear interest burden. The Centre should also share the interest burden,” he added.
The minister assured the Centre that the state would support the Consumer Protection Act 2019 and demanded that the Centre should provide assistance to Odisha to set up a Central Consumer Protection Authority.
Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan had held a meeting with state ministers of Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Protection to discuss issues like the implementation of the newly enacted Consumer Protection Act and issues regarding commodity prices, consumer protection and the new ‘one nation one ration card’ scheme.