Indian Govt planning Right to Repair for mobiles; See what this could mean for you

The Indian government is planning to implement Right to Repair for mobiles, cars and other devices. Here are all the details.

Right to Repair is being planned for Indian consumers  (Unsplash)

Right to Repair is planned for India and if this ever materialises, it could prove to be a massive boon. Based on a new PTI report, it is said that the government is concerned over monopolizing repair and spare parts by manufacturers, and hence it wants them to allow easy repairs by third-parties or self-repairs. The Department of Consumer Affairs said in a statement that it has set up a committee chaired by Nidhi Khare, Additional Secretary to develop comprehensive framework on Right to Repair.

Manufacturers usually retain proprietary control over spare parts, which even includes their design. Additionally, warranty cards of several products ban the products getting from an outfit not recognised by the makers, or else lose the warranty. The report says that the government feels that this kind of monopoly on repair processes infringes the customer's "right to choose".

Indian Govt. wants Right to Repair for consumers

The government feels that Right To Repair will allow customers to own a product wholly, "for which the consumers should be able to repair and modify the product with ease and at reasonable cost, without being captive to the whims of manufacturers for repairs," said the statement.

With this implemented, it is said that it will ”harmonise trade between the original equipment manufacturers and the third-party buyers and sellers.” It will also help with reduction in e-waste.

The first meeting held on July 13 identified the key sectors thatc ould benefit from Right To Repair, which includes mobile phones and tablets, consumer durables, automobiles, and farming equipment.

"During the deliberations, it was felt that the tech companies should provide complete knowledge and access to manuals, schematics, and software updates and to which the software license shouldn't limit the transparency of the product in sale," said the statement.

Additionally, the parts and tools to service devices, including diagnostic tools should be made available to the third parties. This should allow individuals to repair the products themselves in case of minor glitches.

The Right to Repair exists in many countries across the globe, including the US, the UK and European Union.

Additionally, for sustainability, PM Marendra Modi launched the concept of LiFE movement (Lifestyle for Environment) in India, which includes the concept of reuse and recycling various consumer products. "A product that cannot be repaired or falls under planned obsolescence i.e. designing a product with an artificially limited useful life, not only becomes e-waste but also forces the consumers to buy new products for want of any repair to reuse it. Thus, restricting the repair of products forces consumers to deliberately make a choice to purchase a new model of that product," the department said.