GSR 619(E) - In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 37 of the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986 (63 of 1986), the Central Government hereby makes the following rules, namely:-
1. Short Title and commencement -
(1) These rules may be called the Bureau of Indian Standards (Recognition of Consumers' Associations) Rules, 1991.
(2) They shall come into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.
2. Definitions - In these rules, unless the context otherwise requires:-
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`Act' means the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986 (63 of 1986);
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`Form' means a Form appended to the Schedule to these rules;
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`Ministry' means the Ministry of Civil Supplies, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution; and
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`Principal Officer' in relation to a consumer association means any individual who is specifically authorised in writing or by means of a resolution adopted by such consumer association in that behalf.
3. Application for recognition of consumers association -
(1) Every consumers association which is desirous of being recognised as a registered consumers association, -
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shall have not less than fifty consumers as its members; and
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shall make an application for such recognition in triplicate to the Bureau of Indian Standards in Form-I.
(2) Every application made under sub-rule (1), shall be accompanied by a bank draft of rupees one thousand.
(3) On receipt of an application made under sub-rule (1), the Bureau of Indian Standards shall note thereon the date of its receipt and shall forthwith communicate such date to the applicant.
(4) The Bureau of Indian Standards may, before issue of a certificate of recognition, require the applicant to furnish, within such period as may be specified by it, such additional information as may be considered necessary within a period of 30 days of the receipt of that letter by the applicant.
(5) On receipt of an application and such other additional information as may be sought under sub-rule (4), the Bureau of Indian Standards shall process the application and forward the documents to the Ministry of Civil Supplies, Government of India with its recommendations for their consideration.
(6) On receipt of the recommendations of the Bureau under sub-rule (5), the Ministry shall consider those recommendations and after satisfying itself that the applicant association is fit to be recognised, may recognise the association in this behalf.
(7) The certificate of recognition to be issued by the Ministry under sub-rule (6) shall be in Form-II.
(8) Where a certificate of recognition issued under these rules is lost, destroyed or mutilated, a duplicate may be issued on an application made in this behalf and on payment of a fee of rupees one hundred.
4. Payment of fees - The fees payable under those rules shall be paid in the form of a bank draft in favour of the Bureau of Indian Standards, New Delhi.
5. Refusal to grant certificate of recognition to consumer association - Where a certificate of recognition of a consumers association has been refused, the applicant shall be informed of the reasons for such refusal by the Bureau.
6. Copies of certificate of recognition to be furnished to certain authorities - Every consumer association which has been recognised as a `registered consumers' association under these rules, shall furnish a copy of the certificate of recognition issued to it while filing a complaint under section 34(1) of the Act.
7. Verification of application - Every application made under these rules shall be duly verified by the principal Officer.
