Taking Consumer Movement Forward

A consumer is the final person of a bought item or service. Consumers can be either an individual or gathering who buy products exclusively for individual use. There are two participants in the market – producers and consumers. A producer produces goods while a consumer consumes that good. These goods can be related to agriculture, industry or services.

Exploitation of Consumer

• Consumers in India are generally unskilled and oblivious. They do not understand their freedoms. A framework is expected to safeguard them from deceitful businessmen.
• Consumers are generally scattered and are not joined together. They are helpless before greedy businessmen. And also makers and brokers are coordinated and powerful.
• There is expanding supply of copy items. It is very challenging for an ordinary person to recognize a real item and its impersonation.
• A few money managers give fake data about the quality, safety and utility of items. Consumers are deceived by misleading promotions and don’t have a true idea about the real quality of publicized merchandise.
• Businessmen use fraud, unethical and monopoly trade practices on their part which leads to the exploitation of consumers. Consumers get defective, inferior, unacceptable and poor goods and services.

Exploitation of Consumer

What is the Consumer Movement?

In India, the consumer movement as a ‘social power’ started with the need of securing and advance the interests of consumers against exploitative and unreasonable exchange practices.  

Due to this large number of endeavours, a critical drive was taken in 1986 by the Indian government. It executed the Consumer Protection Act 1986, prominently known as COPRA.

Taking the Consumer Rights and Movements forward

India has been noticing 24 December as National Consumers’ Day. This day, the Indian Parliament instituted the Consumer Protection Act in 1986.  

India is one of the nations that have elite courts for consumer redressal. The consumer movement of India has gained a few headways as far as quantities of coordinated gatherings and their exercises. There are today in excess of 700 consumer bunches in the nation of which more than 20 are efficient and perceived for their work.

Problems faced in Redressal Process

Notwithstanding, the consumer redressal process is becoming awkward, costly, and tedious. Numerous a period, consumers are expected to draw in legal counsellors. These cases require time for recording and going to the court procedures and so forth In many buys, cash notices are not given consequently proof isn’t difficult to accumulate. In addition, most buys in the market are little retail deals. The current regulations additionally are not extremely clear on the issue of remuneration to consumers harmed by faulty items. After over 30 years of the order of COPRA, consumer mindfulness in India is spreading however leisurely. Other than this the authorization of regulations that safeguard labourers, particularly in the chaotic areas is feeble. Also, rules and guidelines for the working of business sectors are frequently not followed.

The order of COPRA has prompted the setting up of isolated branches of Consumer Affairs in focal and state legislatures. The logo with the letters ISI, Agmark or Hallmark assists consumers with getting confirmation of value while buying labour and products

By the by, there is the degree for consumers to understand their job and significance. It is generally expected said that consumer developments can be viable just with the consumers’ dynamic inclusion. It requires deliberate exertion and battles including the support of everyone.

Sample Questions

Question 1: What is the difference between consumer and producer in the market

Answer: 

Producers make, or produce, merchandise and offer types of assistance, while consumers are the customers who purchase those labour and products with capital. Consumers can be either an individual or gathering who buy products exclusively for individual use.

Question 2: List the reasons of a person exploitation in the market?

Answer:

The main reasons for the exploitation of people in the market are as follows:

• Adulteration in basic food products like fruits, vegetables, milk etc.
• Producers selling inadequate quality merchandise.
• Producers and businessmen denying for help and assistance.
• Charging extra fees above the maximum retail price, taking the benefit of consumer helplessness.
• Underweighting of the products and goods.
• Not giving the actual bill for the purchase.

Question 3: What are the steps taken by the government to empower the consumers of India?

Answer: 

The various initiatives taken by the government are as follows:

1. The Right to Information Act(RTI) was passed in the year 2005 so individuals of the country could be made aware regarding the working of the Government
2. The Consumer Protection Act (COPRA) was passed by the Government for the security of the customers and to keep them from double-dealing at the market level.
3. A buyer Court was set up for individuals where bodies of evidence against any uniqueness with the customer were raised.

Question 4: What are the difficulties faced in the consumer redressal?

Answer: 

A consumer has to deal with various difficulties while taking the consumer movement forward:

1. Cumbersome-The consumer redressal process is becoming cumbersome, and therefore difficult to take forward expensive and time-consuming.
2. Expensive-Many times, consumers are required to engage a lawyer, who take the large amount of fee
3. Time consuming-These cases require time for filing and attending the court proceedings, etc.

Question 5: Explain the three-tier quasi-judicial machinery in India of COPRA? 

Answer: 

A three-level quasi-judicial mechanism at the locale, state and public levels was set up under COPRA for redressal of consumer questions.

1. The region-level court called District Forum manages the cases including claims up to Rs 20 lakh
2. The state-level court called State Commission manages the cases including claims between Rs 20 lakh and Rs 1 crore.
3. The public level court is known as the National Commission, manages cases including claims surpassing Rs 1 crore. Assuming a case is excused in area-level court, a customer can likewise bid in the state and in this manner in public level courts.