Centre nudges 112 top firms to sign up for ‘right to repair’
TVS Motor Co. Ltd, Havells India Ltd, Philips India Ltd, Voltas Ltd, Whirlpool of India Ltd, John Deere, Sonalika Tractors, Escorts Ltd, New Holland Agriculture, (Royal Enfield) Eicher Motors Ltd, Blue Star Ltd, BPL Ltd, Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Co. Ltd, and Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals Ltd.
The move seeks to prevent the practice of some companies stopping supply of spare parts and servicing to force consumers to buy new products. Planned obsolescence as a trade practice is adopted largely by makers of electronic devices. An electronic product that cannot be repaired, or falls under planned obsolescence, not only becomes e-waste, but also forces consumers to spend unnecessarily, the official quoted above said on the condition of anonymity.
“You (manufacturers) are making money because of consumers. So, take care of their interests. We are starting with electronics, farming equipment, automobiles and white goods.
These are the sectors in which consumers face trouble the most," the official added. Many consumers face issues in service and repair of their products, including non-availability of spare parts, exorbitant prices of such parts, and denial of repair service. Hence, there is a need to ensure that when a consumer buys a product, she has full ownership of the product and in case of repair, the legal rights of consumers are not restricted, the official said.
The Union consumer affairs department on Tuesday wrote to these companies to join a government initiative to check the practice of artificially limiting the useful life of products. Prior to the latest drive, 41 companies, including Hyundai Motor India Ltd, Bajaj Electricals, Havells, Samsung India Electronics Pvt. Ltd, and Apple India Pvt.
Read more on livemint.com
