Consumer Protection is one of CAG's core areas of work and as part of our efforts to educate and inform consumers on various consumer issues and related happenings, including our own activities, we publish "Consumer Update", a bi-monthly e-newsletter.
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Currently, India holds a below par position in terms of SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) scores and
Electricity is an indispensable resource to the growth of a nation. From mighty corporations to modest domestic households, everyone needs electricity to survive in this rapidly digitizing world. Although the Electricity Act 2003 provides a comprehensive framework to regulate the production and supply of electricity, a majority of the consumers are in the dark regarding their rights and options in the sector. Owing to the lack of transparency and accessibility to the low tension industrial and domestic consumers, the system does not adequately protect their interests and redress their grievances. Further, the manifest domination of the public sector undertakings in the various segments of the production and supply of electricity severely impedes competition in the industry, which in turn adversely impacts the consumer interest in terms of quality of services and the choices available. Therefore, there is an urgent need to reform the electricity sector in India so as to enhance competition in the industry and improve consumer choices.
CAG is working on an initiative titled “Supporting Tamil Nadu in Accelerating Clean Energy Share in its Power Sector” for accelerating the transition to clean energy in Tamil Nadu and improving the quality of participation of stakeholders in supporting the same. As part of the initiative, CAG is researching competition and regulatory aspects and its role in enhancing consumer choice in the sector. The aim of the present initiative is to research the electricity sector and identify possible areas of development and reformation to enhance competition and improve the consumer choices in the industry.
CAG's 2021 Brand Audit sought to understand which companies create the maximum plastic waste. Interestingly, unbranded plastic contributed to a quarter of the plastic waste audited followed by well-known brands like Unilever, Aavin, and Britannia. Over 90% of the plastic waste produced by companies such as Unilever, Nestle, and Mondelez for example, are made of non-recyclable plastics - an indication of brands disinterest in making their products truly sustainable.
This survey was conducted by CAG in November 2021 to understand the practice of re-use of cooking oil among street vendors in Tamil Nadu.
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The availability of a large area of land is a prerequisite to the installation of solar panels. In order to generate 1MW of power, the area of land required could be between 2.5 acres and 4 acres. This implies that purely investing in solar farms filled with hundreds or maybe thousands of solar panels instead of crops will have a serious impact on the agricultural output which the land could have produced.