The charter would essentially incorporate citizen's entitlement to public services, wide publicity of standards of performance, quality of services, access to information, simplified procedures of complaints, time-bound redressal of grievances and provision for independent scrutiny of performance, he said.

Stating that the government's role was changing in the liberalised economic situation, the minister said laws were being amended to bring them in line with the new environment. The Essential Commodities (SpecialProvisions) Act has been withdrawn. Other laws are also being amended, he said. These steps had been taken to ensure that traders and industrialists were not harassed but at the same time the trade and industry had to protect consumers' interest.

Yadav said promulgation of the Consumer Protection Act in 1986 had proved to be a milestone in the history of socio-economic legislation in the country. It was a unique piece of legislation which provided for a three-tier consumer disputes redressal machinery at national and state levels, he said. Since the inception of consumer courts, over 1.5 lakh complaints had been filed in various state consumer commissions and 60 per cent of it had been disposed of, he said.

Departing from his prepared text, the minister called for setting up an institution involving the government, industry and consumer organisations for the benefit of consumers. N N Mookherjee, secretary, food and consumer affairs, in his key-note address, said there was need to promote consumerawareness now more than in 1986 when the Consumer Protection Act was passed as many changes had been ushered in by liberalisation.