Consumer movement in India

Consumers play a vital role in the economic system of a nation because in the absence of effective demand that emanates from them, the economy virtually collapses

An individual who buys products or services for personal use and not for manufacture or resale. A consumer is someone who can make the decision whether or not to purchase an item at the store, and someone who can be influenced by marketing and advertisements. 

Gandhi said: "A consumer is the most important visitor on our

premises. He is not dependent on us, we are on him. He is not an interruption to our work; he is the purpose of it. We are not doing a favor to a consumer by giving him an opportunity. He is doing us a favor by giving us opportunity to serve him. But, of late, unfortunately cheating by way of overcharging, black .marketing, misleading advertisements, etc 

Introduction

In the year 1958, the Indian Standards Institute had arranged a convention at New Delhi. As per the resolution passed at the convention, the Consumers Association of India was established in1959.

In 1966, the Consumer Guidance Society of India was formed in Mumbai with the object to protect consumers against rising prices of essential commodities. In the same year on 2nd, 1996,Council for Fair Business Practices was formed by leading industrialist like, J.R.D Tata and Others

The Indian Consumer Union was established in 1971. The activities of the union include offering legal advice, testing facilities, arranging lectures and seminars. The Consumer Education and Research Centre were formed in 1978, at Ahemadad, to guide and protect Consumer Rights

Making the consumer aware of his/her rights. It is a marketing term which means that consumers are aware of products or services, its characteristics and the other marketing P¶s (place to buy, price, and promotion)

The first consumer movement began in England after the Second World War, a modern declaration about consumers rights was first made in the United States of America in 1962, where four basic consumer rights(choice, information, safety and to be heard) were recognized. Ralph Nadar, a consumer activist, is considered as the father of µconsumer movement¶. March 15 is now celebrated as the World Consumer Rights Day. 

Consumer awareness

Laws are designed to ensure fair trade competition and the free flow of truthful information in the marketplace. The laws are designed to prevent businesses that engage in fraud or specified unfair practices from gaining an advantage over competitors and may provide additional protection for the weak and those unable to take care of themselves. Consumer Protection laws are a form of government regulation which aim to protect the MADs of consumers

Consumer protection

Consumer protection means safeguarding the interest and rights of consumers. The most common business malpractices leading to consumer exploitation areo Sale of adulterated goods i.e., adding something inferior to the product being soldo  Sale of spurious goods i.e., selling something of little value instead of the real product.o Sale of sub-standard goods i.e., sale of goods which do not confirm to prescribed quality standards.o Sale of duplicate goodso Use of false weights and measures leading to underweight.o Hoarding and black-marketing leading to scarcity and rise in priceo  Charging more than the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) fixed for the producto Supply of defective goodso Misleading advertisements i.e., advertisements falsely claiming a product or service to be of superior quality, grade or standardo  Supply of inferior services i.e., quality of service lower than the quality agreed upon

Concept of Consumer protection

Some interesting developments which are helping the consumer movement include ,Developments taking place in the field of consumer education and some noticeable Changes that have place among business organizations and their associations or Federations. Consumer Protection is being incorporated in the courses at different levels in schools and colleges. Full-fledged courses have been introduced in management 

Life Insurance Corporation of India ( LIC ) Petroleum Companies, Railways, Banks, Income Tax Departments,

have also initiated setting up of public grievance Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) The Advertisement Standard Council of India (ASCI) Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)

Achievements in consumer movement

Right to Safety Right to be Informed  Right to Choose Right to be Heard Right to Seek  Redressal Right to Consumer Education

Rights of Consumers

Be quality conscious Beware of misleading advertisements  Responsibility to inspect a variety of goods before

making selection Collect proof of transaction Consumers must be aware of their rights Complaint for genuine grievances Proper use of product/services

Responsibilities of Consumers

Trade marks given

by Govt of India