While the present and past governments looked out for the commercial interests of the corporations and business quarters, there had been little effort to safeguard the rights and interests of the common consumer. Successive governments have shelved enactment of a consumer rights act. Although the current government agreed in principle to such a law — it also incorporates elements of hoarding, stockpiling, cartel, competition, adulteration among others — a few months back, the law has not seen any meaningful progress since. The commerce adviser, the report states, has apparently declared promulgation of this regulation as a top priority, which is perhaps the only bit of good news in the entire affair. The need for a consumer rights law has become all the more evident in the recent times as prices of essential food items have risen in phenomenal rates with food inflation at 13 per cent. According to experts, however, inflation for the poor people is actually a few times higher than that which the official figures state. The consumer rights protection act should provide the government with an effective means to prevent hoarding and collusion among the market players so that the predatory market may not prey upon the consumers. The incumbents should also consider a price control mechanism for the nine specific items that have identified and constitute the core food basket. Price monitoring of food essentials coupled with a rigorous application of consumer rights laws is in vogue in a number of countries across the world. Application of these laws and regulations have been deemed necessary for public welfare and consumers' interest, which appears to have been an agenda that successive governments pointedly ignored. Besides the prices of food essentials, there is also the matter of accountability of all kinds of service providers, especially medial practitioners, considering the large number of allegations ranging from food adulteration to medical malpractice.

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