Committee formed under chairmanship of Bharat Khera to develop a framework for a RI has submitted its report to Department of Consumer Affairs (DoCA).
About RI Framework (Recommended by Committee):
- Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) are required to self-declare RI based on standards scoring criteria provided in framework.
- RI should be displayed at point of sale/purchase, E-commerce platforms and in form of QR code on packaged products.
- Committee identified smartphones and tablets as priority categories for the initial phase of RI.
- RI is assessed on six core parameters (Refer Infographic).
- Scoring criteria and weightages were developed for each parameter.
- A RI on a five-point numeric scale is calculated after aggregating weightages for priority parts.
Significance of RI:
- Improved repair accessibility: There has been significant rise in complaints in mobiles and tablets product category from 19,057 in 2022-2023 and further to 22,864 in 2024-2025.
- Promoting Sustainable Economy: RI emphasizes on LiFE (Lifestyle for the Environment) movement through Promoting sustainable consumption.
- Address issue of ‘planned obsolescence’: i.e. devices are designed specifically to last a limited amount of time and to be replaced.
- Employment generation: By allowing third-party repairs.
About Right to Repair:
- It calls for companies to make spare parts, tools and information on how to repair devices available to customers and repair shops to increase lifespan of products.
- DoCA launched Right to Repair Portal India in 2022, to facilitate relevant repair associated information.
