[Mission 2023] STATIC QUIZ, 6 September 2022 – Governance

Solution: d)

The Social Security Code of 2020 brings the unorganised sector, gig workers and platform workers under the ambit of social security schemes, including for their insurance and health.

Solution: a)

Central Consumer Protection Authority constituted under Section 10(1) of The Consumer Protection Act, 2019. The Act replaced The Consumer Protection Act, 1986, and seeks to widen its scope in addressing consumer concerns. The new Act recognises offences such as providing false information regarding the quality or quantity of a good or service, and misleading advertisements. It also specifies action to be taken if goods and services are found “dangerous, hazardous or unsafe”.

The CCPA aims to protect the rights of the consumer by cracking down on unfair trade practices, and false and misleading advertisements that are detrimental to the interests of the public and consumers.

The CCPA will have the powers to inquire or investigate into matters relating to violations of consumer rights or unfair trade practices suo motu, or on a complaint received, or on a direction from the central government.

CCPA will have Chief Commissioner as head, and two other commissioners as members.

The CCPA will have an Investigation Wing that will be headed by a Director General.

Solution: d)

Department of Consumer Affairs is one of the two Departments under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution. It was constituted as a separate Department in June 1997 as it was considered necessary to have a separate Department to give a fillip to the nascent consumer movement in the country.

THE DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN ENTRUSTED WITH THE FOLLOWING WORK

• Implementation of Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
• Implementation of Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016
• Implementation of Standards of Weights and Measures – The Legal Metrology Act, 2009.
• Regulation of Packaged Commodities.
• The Essential Commodities Act, 1955 (10 of 1955) (Supply, Prices and Distribution of Essential Commodities not dealt with specifically by any other Department).
• Prevention of Black Marketing and Maintenance of Supply of Essential Commodities Act, 1980(7 of 1980).
• Monitoring of prices and availability of essential commodities.
• Direct Selling
• Training in Legal Metrology.
• The Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1952.
• Laying down specifications, standards and codes and ensuring quality control of bio-fuels for end uses.
• Consumer Cooperatives
• National Test House.

Solution: b)

In the absence of a special penal law creating vicarious liability, an admin of a WhatsApp group cannot be held liable for the objectionable post by a group member. There is no law by which an admin of any messaging service can be held liable for a post made by a member in the group. A WhatsApp admin cannot be an intermediary under the IT Act.

Vicarious liability in a broader sense, is the responsibility imposed on one person for the wrongful actions of another person. This often occurs in the context of civil law—for example, in employment cases. In a criminal context, vicarious liability assigns guilt, or criminal liability, to a person for wrongful acts committed by someone else.

Solution: c)

WHO defines rare disease as having a frequency of less than 6.5-10 per 10,000 people.

National Policy for Rare Diseases, 2021:

• Financial support under the Umbrella Scheme of Rashtriya Arogaya Nidhi shall be provided by the Central Government for treatment, of those rare diseases that require a one-time treatment. Beneficiaries for such financial assistance would not be limited to BPL families, but extended to about 40% of the population, who are eligible as per norms of Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, for their treatment in Government tertiary hospitals only.
• Government will endeavour to create alternate funding mechanism through setting up a digital platform for voluntary individual and corporate donors to contribute to the treatment cost of patients of rare diseases.
• Voluntary crowd-funding for treatment.