ROLE OF VOLUNTARY ORGANISATIONS IN CONSUMER PROTECTION

BY

PRACHI TANEJA

WHO ARE CONSUMERS?

Consumer is a broad label for any individuals or households that use goods and services generated within the economy. The concept of a consumer occurs in different contexts, so that the usage and significance of the term may vary.

WHAT IS CONSUMER PROTECTION?

Consumer protection laws 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 rights of consumers

CONSUMER ORGANIZATION
Consumer organizations are advocacy groups that seek to protect people from corporate abuse. Unsafe products, predatory lending, false advertising, astro turfing and pollution are all examples of corporate abuse. Consumer organizations may operate via protests, campaigning or lobbying.

ROLE OF VOLUNTARY ORGANISATIONS

The role of voluntary organizations has become increasingly more significant over the last two decades. There are now more than 800 such organisations in India. They have undertaken various activities as part of the consumer movement. They perform several functions, like:

(i) Create awareness about consumer rights and educate the general public about consumer problems and remedies through seminars, workshops and training programmes. (ii) Provide legal aid to consumers by way, of assistance in seeking legal remedy. (iii) Undertake advocacy of consumers point of view as representative members of consumer protection councils and others official boards.

Cont..
(iv) Arrange comparative testing of consumer products through their own testing apparatus or accredited laboratories so as to evaluate the relative qualities of competing brands and publish the test results for the benefit of consumers to become informed buyers. (v) Publish periodicals and journals to disseminate information among readers about consumer problems, legal reporting and other emerging matters of interest. Most of these periodicals do not accept advertisements from business firms. (vi) Make suggestions and recommend steps which government authorities should consider in policy making and administrative measures adopted in the interest of consumers. (vii) Some voluntary organizations have successful used Public Interest Litigation (PIL) to enforce consumer rights in several cases. In other words, voluntary organizations have filed cases in law courts in the interest of the general public, not for any individual

LIST OF CUSTOMER ORGANIZATION

CERC (Consumer Education and Research Centre) FEDCOT (Federation of Consumer Organisations in Tamil Nadu) Citizen Consumer and Civic Action Group Consumer Voice SMN Consumer Protection Council Consumer Guidance Society of India CUTS (Consumer Unity of Trust Society) Ministry of Consumer Affairs Mumbai Grahak Panchayat CONCERT (Centre for Consumer Education Research, Teaching, Training and Testing) Bureau of Indian Standards

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