Project work

Title of the project: Consumer rights and consumer

egecwfwecgwecgecmovement in India

Objective: The objective of the project is to

a create awareness among f
d consumer about their rights
fwafwfwfwfwf wf wfwhich will minimise the chances
w being exploited in the market
fwwwfwfwfwfwfw place

Name : SWAPNESH SWAROOP MOHANTY

School: LAKSHMIPAT SINGHANIA

D PUBLIC SCHOOL

Year : 2022-23

Class : 10th ‘B’

Submitted to: LIPA PANDA MAM

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to express my special thanks of

gratitude to my teacher
Lipa panda mam as well as our principal who gave
me the golden opportunity to do this wonderful
project on the topic 'Consumer Rights and
Consumer Movement in India'.

This project helped me a lot in gaining adequate

knowledge about the topic. I have completed this
project after proper analysis and research, and I
came to know about so many new things.

I am thankful to all of my friends, co-partners and

guide, who have devoted their precious time in
completing my project. Secondly, I would so like to
thank my parents or guardians who helped me a lot
in finishing this project within the prescribed time.

I am making this project not only for marks but also

to increase my knowledge and intellect
development.

Thanks again to all who helped me.

 Certificate

This is to certify that the project work ‘consumer

Rights and Consumer Movement in India’ is the
bonafide work of Swapnesh Swaroop Mohanty who
carried out the work under my supervision
………………………
 Contents
S.NO particulars
1. Who is consumer
2. malpractices in the
f marketplace
3. need for protecting the d
m consumer
4. consumer movement
5. ways to protect
rrrrrrconsumers
6. problems with consumer
r movement
7. consumer rights
8. learning to become well
r informed consumer
C onsumers are those who purchase goods or
services for their own use.

Consumers are the ones who make the decisions about

what they want to buy, why they want to buy it, and
where they will buy it. Consumers purchase goods after
being persuaded by marketing and advertising. Anyone
who visits a store and purchases a clothing, toy,
beverage, or anything else does so in the role of a
consumer.
Customers take part in the market by investing in the
finished items and services that best suit their needs.
However, because they don't stand up for their rights,
customers are taken advantage of in the marketplace.
Therefore, it is our duty as consumers to speak up and
let the government and producers know about our
needs and desires, as well as to honestly express
complaints or let businesses and other people know
that you are dissatisfied with a good or service.
Consumers should be held accountable for acting
ethically, fairly, and without any wrongdoing that
would force other consumers to foot the bill.
Being consumers, we anticipate a particular level of
value for our money when we purchase any good or
service from the market, including the correct quality,
quantity, prices, and information about the product,
among other things. But nowadays, we frequently
experience harassment and deception from
manufacturers and merchants
There are numerous ways to take advantage of
consumers, including
Selling for more money
the falsification of food goods
products that fall well short of the minimum standards
in terms of quality.
False claims are made in the market by some firms
regarding their products through appealing
representations and ads.
not receiving free maintenance for the item throughout
the warranty term.
The consumers must be safeguarded from the
marketplace fraud committed by producers or
merchants. It is crucial, particularly in developing
nations like India where most people simply go out and
buy things after being drawn in by the eye-catching
displays or commercials. The majority of consumers
behave like a herd of sheep that only follows one
person they may like. For instance, if some consumers
follow a particular celebrity who is appearing in an
advertisement for a particular product, such as a face
cream, some followers may purchase that product out
of sheer faith that it will turn out to be a high-quality
item. Thus, educating customers about their rights is
necessary in order to end such activities.

The need to defend and advance consumer interests

against unethical and unfair business practises in India
gave rise to the Consumer Movement Act as a social
force. The Consumer Movement was established in the
1960s as a result of widespread food shortages,
stockpiling, illegal marketing, adulteration of food, and
the adulteration of edible oil. Consumer associations
spent the majority of their time until the 1970s writing
articles and planning exhibitions.
CONSUMER FORUMS

Numerous organisations called locally as Consumer

Forums or Consumer Protection Councils have been
established as a result of the consumer movement in
India. They offer advice to clients on how to bring
claims before the Consumer Court. They frequently
stand in for actual consumers in consumer court cases.
The government also provides financial support to
these non-profit organisations to raise public
awareness.

CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT,1986

All of the Consumer Movement's efforts since the

1960s have been successful in getting the government,
businesses, and firms to change their outdated business
practises that were detrimental to the interests of all
consumers. The Consumer Protection Act of 1986, or
COPRA, was passed by the Indian government in 1986
and was a significant step in this direction. Following
the creation of Consumers International, this law was
put into effect.
The Consumer Protection Act (COPRA), implemented
in 1986, is a law passed by the Indian Parliament to
safeguard the rights of customers. For the resolution of
consumer disputes and related issues, it provides for
the creation of consumer councils and other bodies.

THREE-TIER SYSTEM
A three-tier quasi-judicial system has been established
at the district, state, and national levels under the
Consumer Protection Act (COPRA) for the resolution of
consumer complaints. The district level court handles
cases with claims up to Rs. 20 lakh, the state level
court handles cases with claims between Rs. 20 lakh
and Rs. 1 crore, and the national level court handles
cases with claims beyond Rs. 1 crore.
Consumers may also appeal in state and ultimately
national level courts if their case is dismissed at the
district level.

Consumer dispute resolution is a challenging,

pricey, and time-consuming process.
The current legal framework on the subject of
consumer compensation is not very clear.
Law enforcement in unorganised sector is weak.
Court proceedings for consumer redressal are
long.
Most of the traders do not issue cash memos.
 Rules and regulations for market functioning are not
followed.

Consumer rights refer to the ability to obtain

information about the standard, price, potency,
amount, purity, and quality of goods and services. It is
crucial for customers to understand their rights. These
rights give consumers the ability to complain in
Consumer Court if they believe their rights have been
violated. The following list of consumer rights.

RIGHT TO SAFETY

Customers have a right to protection from the

marketing of products and the provision of services
that endanger their lives and property. The necessary
safety standards and regulations must be properly
adhered to by producers and service providers. Many
products (such as the safety valves for pressure
cookers, electrical devices, geysers, iron, etc.) call for
extra caution when it comes to safety. Its flaws could
result in a serious accident. Therefore, in this situation,
producers are expected to preserve the safety and
quality of their products and services.
RIGHT TO BE INFORMED

The government has mandated that a product's

packaging must list all the product's contents, safety
features, date of manufacturing, price, quantity,
expiration date, and other information. This
information is provided because it enables consumers
to make wise purchasing decisions. The consumer has
the right to protest and request replacement or
reimbursement if the product turns out to be flawed in
any way. Because consumers have a right to
information about the specific goods and services they
purchased, manufacturers are required to publish this
information.
USE OF RTI (RIGHT TO INFORMATION)
CONSUMERS

The RTI (Right to Information) Act, which was

passed by the Indian government in October 2005,
guarantees that all information on how government
agencies are run is available to the public.

It ensures the public authority's operations are

transparent and accountable.

Except for the State of Jammu & Kashmir, this Act

is applicable to all the States and Union Territories.
The Jammu and Kashmir Right to Information Act,
2009, a separate law exclusive to the State of Jammu
and Kashmir, is the reason for this.
 According to the RTI Act, any citizen may make a
request of a public authority, which must then provide
the requested information promptly or within 30 days.

RIGHT TO CHOOSE

Any customer who uses a service in any capacity

has the right to decide whether to keep using it or not,
regardless of their age, gender, or the type of service
they are using. Even if the merchant urges that you
purchase both, you have the right to choose a product
or service and decide whether to continue using it, like
the cable operator's services, or not.

According to this right, no Indian customer can be held

captive by a product's monopoly on the market. In
other words, no market is permitted to be dominated
by a single manufacturer, and no customer is allowed
to be coerced to choose a specific product to consume.
Therefore, each and every consumer has the freedom
to select from a variety of available options in
accordance with his or her own preferences.

In a market where a range of products are offered at

competitive pricing, this right can be better exercised.

RIGHT TO SEEK REDRESSAL

The right to seek redress against unfair business

practises and exploitation belongs to consumers. It
means that if a consumer suffers any harm, he or she
has the right to compensation based on the severity of
the harm.
 To accomplish this, a simple and efficient public
system must be made available.

Post-purchase complaints must be addressed through a

robust redressal system since markets are becoming
more globalised and the direct line between the
producer and the ultimate consumer is eroding. To
address this, the Act establishes consumer dispute
resolution organisations (often referred to as Consumer
Forums of Consumer Courts) at the district, state, and
federal levels. These organisations offer quick, simple,
and affordable resolution of consumer complaints.

RIGHT TO REPRESENT

With the use of this right, consumers can be

represented in consumer courts. Many consumers are
unsure of the proper procedure for complaining to a
consumer court. After taking this into account, the
consumer movement in India founded several
organisations going by the names of consumer forums
or consumer protection councils, which provide
guidance to consumers on how to file complaints or
cases in the consumer court. Additionally, these
organisations assist consumers in representing
themselves in consumer courts, where they might
receive compensation based on the severity of their
damages.

RIGHT TO CONSUMER EDUCATION

This means that each and every consumer needs

to be aware of the rights that have been granted to
them in order to protect themselves from being taken
advantage of in the marketplace. Consumer education
may be used to describe formal instruction provided by
college and school curricula. Governmental and non-
governmental organisations' consumer awareness
initiatives are another form of consumer education.
Ignorance of consumers, is the root cause of their
exploitation. Thus, consumers should known rights and
must exercise them.
Right to
safety

Rights to
Rights choose
information

Rights to
Rights to be
consumer
represent
edu

Rights to
redressal

Consumer rights in India

A person needs to be aware of their obligations in order

to be an informed customer. One of the responsibilities
is to be more vigilant and to inquire about the costs,
variety, and calibre of the goods and services used.
Consumers should purchase high-quality goods, and in
order to do so, they should be aware of the quality
standards and marks that the Bureau of Indian
Standards has established (BIS). A quality mark
provides the consumer with a visible and simple-to-
identify quality rating instrument that comes from a
trustworthy source.
ISI Mark The ISI mark is meant to represent basic
quality and customer safety. This mark is both required
and optional. For products like LPG cylinders,
electrical appliances, batteries, oil pressure stoves, car
accessories, medical equipment, steel products,
chemicals, cement, fertilisers, baby food, and packaged
water, among others, the ISI certification is required.

AGMARK Agricultural products undergo Agmark

certification. AGMARK is required for 205 different
items, including cereals, pulses, essential oils,
vegetable oils, fruits, and vegetables. The Agricultural
Produce (Grading and Making) Act of 1987 provides
legal protection for the plan.

VEGETARIAN AND NON-VEGETARIAN

Every packaged food item must be labelled in India
with a statutory mark to distinguish between lacto-
vegetarian and non-lacto-vegetarian options.
Vegetarian foods should be marked with a green sign in
accordance with the Food Safety and Standards
(Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011, and non-
vegetarian goods with a brown symbol.

HALLMARK The BIS hallmark is a hall marking system

began for gold in 2000 and for silver in 2005. It has a
wide acceptance among consumers.

BEE STAR’ LABEL MARK The Bureau of Electrical

Efficiency (BEE) of the Ministry of Power, Government
of India, introduced the Bee' star label mark in 2006.
This rating ensures that certain electrical equipment on
the government's list will use less energy and therefore
cost less money. A few examples include frost-free (no
frost) refrigerators, direct-cool refrigerators, room air
conditioners, distribution transformers, induction
motors, pump sets, tube fluorescent lamps, ceiling
fans, LPG stoves, electric geysers, and colour TVs.

HANDLOOM MARK The Handloom Mark programme

was introduced by the Indian government to sell hand
woven goods both domestically and abroad.
Consumers are reassured by this symbol that hand
loom products are authentic. All hand-loom fabrics and
everything created with them have this logo.

FSSAI Food Safety and Standards Authority of India is

referred to as Fssai. The Food Safety and Requirements
(FSS) Act of 2006 established the recognised safety
criteria for food items, and this certification mark
guarantees that the food is hygienic and complies with
those standards. For food items like dairy products,
fats, oils, fruits, vegetables, cereal and cereal goods,
meat and meat products, fish and fish products, sweets
and confectionery sweetening agents like honey, the
FSSAI has established standards. Salt, spices, drinks,
specialised foods, and so forth.

In addition to being aware of these quality

requirements, consumers have other obligations in the
marketplace. Given below are a few of these.

1. Refrain from buying goods or services from

businesses that do not list the names of
representatives who can handle customer
complaints.

2. If a customer, even for a minor loss, is dissatisfied

with the quality of a product or service, he or she
must make a complaint. Customers should only
make sincere complaints.
3. Don't be distracted by advertisements alone or
take the seller's words at face value.
 4. Consumers need to read market evaluations.
Similarly, if the product is subpar, provide
feedback.

5. Before making a decision, compare the features,

availability, and fair costs of the products and
services.

6. The effects of our consumption on the

environment should be known to us and
understood. So, always choose for
environmentally friendly items.

7. As consumers, it is our duty to preserve natural

resources and save the planet for next generations.

Thus, we can draw the conclusion that it is both the

government and consumers' mutual responsibility to
raise public awareness of the rights of consumers in
society, as doing so will help to reduce the prevalence
of market malpractices. Therefore, it is up to us as
consumers to lead the Consumer Movement and take
action.