The Department of Consumer Affairs (DoCA), Government of India, hosted a groundbreaking National Workshop on the Right to Repair Framework for the Mobile and Electronic Sectors here today. The event was aimed at establishing a consensus among industry stakeholders on key parameters for accessing and evaluating repairability index, promoting longevity in product design, and democratizing repair information to enhance consumer experiences in reusing the mobile and electronics products they own.
The workshop’s primary goal was to address the current challenges in the repair and reuse of mobile and electronic products. The objective was to ensure that the product is not designed to fail but designed to last long so that consumers are not compelled to purchase new products due to a lack of repair options or exorbitant repair costs.
During the workshop, Smt. Nidhi Khare, Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs, sparked vital discussions on controlling the practice of planned obsolescence which is withholding of essential information regarding repair Dos and Don’t, repair manual/videos and lack of availability of spare parts by manufacturers leaves mobiles and electronics abandon and forces consumers towards the risks associated with counterfeit parts from grey markets. Additionally, a major concern addressed was the excessively high costs of repairs, which often lead to consumer dissatisfaction and delays repair. This necessitates the need for repairability index, employment generation through aatmanirbhar bharat, and making India a global repair hub along with the leader of the south.
In the inaugural address, Shri Bharat Khera, Additional Secretary of the Department of Consumer Affairs, emphasized the critical need for transparent and affordable repair solutions, increased consumer awareness, support local repairers.
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