-The Hindu Following several compaints, the govt. has asked hotels/restaurants to prominently display that the service charge in the bill is voluntary. You, as a consumer, have the discretion to not pay ‘service charges’ added to your bill by any hotel/restaurant, according to the government. In a statement issued on Monday, the consumer affairs department asked the state governments to advise the hotels/restaurants to prominently display that “the service charges are discretionary /...

-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Insurance firms often lack a heart when dealing with claims, the chief of India's apex Consumer Protection body said on Saturday. Justice D K Jain, president of the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC), also cited examples of surveyors doing their best to delay or deny compensation. "Insurance companies should have a heart. I feel they lack it," said Justice Jain at an event on National...

-Frontline.in Interview with Utsa Patnaik, professor emerita of economics, Jawaharlal Nehru University. By T.K. RAJALAKSHMI THE FALLOUT of the decision of the National Democratic Alliance government to demonetise currency of higher denominations has been felt across all sections of people. There are concerns that it will lead to an overall economic slowdown given the acute shortage of currency for industrial and agricultural operations. The impact on agriculture and those dependent on agriculture...

-The Hindu Personal data of 1.5 crore PDS beneficiaries laid bare without password protection Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government may have compromised the privacy of Public Distribution System beneficiaries, by making available their personal information online. Personal data such as monthly income, electoral card details, consumer numbers of power and cooking gas connections of 1.5 crore residents were published on the Civil Supplies website, throwing open the possibility of misuse by private companies and...

-The Indian Express The NCC held that it is for the presiding member of the consumer forum to choose either of the methods to ensure its orders are not breached. New Delhi: IN A stern message to all builders, the National Consumer Commission (NCC) has held that officials of real estate firms can be arrested for failing to hand over flats or make refunds on time. Last week, the Commission bench, presided...