Consumer : satisfaction and protection - class-X

Jago Grahak Jago is a consumer awareness campaign launched by the Department of Consumer Affairs in India to educate consumers about their rights.

Following are the rights of consumers :-
a) Right to choose.
b) Right to be heard.
c) Right to be informed.
d) Right to Safety.
e) Right to Seek Redressal.
f) Right to Consumer Education.

The Consumer Protection Act (COPRA) was enacted in India in 1986 to provide better protection of the interests of consumers.

In a free market economy, the forces of supply and demand, driven by consumer preferences, determine the allocation of resources.

Consumer sovereignty is the economic theory that consumer preferences determine the production of goods and services in an economy.

Consumer sovereignty means that producers are guided by the choices and preferences of consumers, effectively making consumers the ones who dictate what is produced.

• COPRA was enacted in 1986.
• COPRA was enacted to protect the interests of consumers in India. 
  

The Consumer Protection Act was enacted in India in 1986.

• Ans: False 
  1:ISI mark is a certification mark for industrial products in India 
  

2:AGMARK is a certification mark employed on agricultural products in India , assuring that they conform to a set of standards approved by the Directorate of Marketing and Inspection, an agency of the Government of India.
Hence both are different not equivalent 

A consumer has right to get compensation.
Agmark certification maintained for standardization of food.
Hallmark certification maintained for standardization of jewellery.
When a consumer gets exploited, he must file a case in consumer court.

National level consumer court hears claims amounting more than Rs. 1 crore.
State level consumer court hears claims amounting less than Rs 1 crore.
District level consumer court hears claims amounting up to Rs 20 lakhs.

Right to Information (RTI) is an Act of the Parliament of India "to provide for setting out the practical regime of right to information for citizens" and replaces the erstwhile Freedom of information Act, 2002. 
MRP is the price of the product which fall under right to information 

It is true that India is the one of the countries that have exclusive courts for Consumer redressal because 

COPRA was enacted to protect the interests of consumers in India.it applies to goods and services.

ISI stands for Indian Standards Institute.
ISI mark is given for products of domestic consumption
LPG cylinders have ISI mark to ensure quality.

Consumers should go to Consumer Courts to get justice for their grievances.
Depending on the value, the following courts can be approached.
National level consumer court hears claims amounting more than Rs. 1 crore.
State level consumer court hears claims amounting less than Rs 1 crore.
District level consumer court hears claims amounting up to Rs 20 lakhs.

National Consumers Day is observed on December 24 every year.

Consumers can express their grievances through consumer movement.
20-25 consumer groups are well organized and recognized for their work.

Consumer International is an independent global body established to give voice for consumers.
Consumer International is operating in 120 countries with 240 member organization.

Indian Standard Institute was renamed as Bureau of Indian Standards since January 1, 1987.
BIS or ISI mark is given to the products of domestic consumption for good quality.

Every Year 24th December is observed as National Consumer Day with a specific theme in India. On this day the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 had received the assent of the president.

COPRA was enacted in 1986.
COPRA was enacted to protect the interests of consumers in India.

Right to Seek Redressal. Means right to seek redressal against unfair trade practices or unscrupulous exploitation of consumers. It also includes right to fair settlement of the genuine grievances of the consumer.

Consumer movement was started to protect the interests of consumers as a social force.
Consumer movement is nothing but consumers forming small groups to express their solidarity. 
Consumer movement builds pressure on the firms or businesses for expressing their grievances.
Consumer groups also represent individual consumers in consumer courts.

A.  Right to seek redressal

1:Means right to seek redressal against unfair trade practices or
unscrupulous exploitation of consumers. It also includes right to fair
settlement of the genuine grievances of the consumer.
2:Consumers must make complaint for their genuine grievances.Many a
times their complaint may be of small value but its impact on the
society as a whole may be very large. They can also take the help of
consumer organisations in seeking redressal of their grievances.

'Jago Grahak Jago' is the slogan related to consumer protection.
'Jago Grahak Jago' is a consumer awareness programme.

The United Nations is an organization comprising of numerous countries.  UN consumer protection guidelines are set of rules for the safety of consumers for all member countries in the UN.

COPRA was enacted to protect the interests of consumers in India.
COPRA applies to goods and services.

• The National Consumer's Day in India is observed on 24 December every year.

Consumer Protection Act, 1986 is an Act of the Parliament of India enacted in 1986 to protect the interests of consumers in India. It makes provision for the establishment of consumer councils and other authorities for the settlement of consumers' disputes and for matters connected therewith.

Consumer Protection Act, 1986 includes:

• the right to the satisfaction of basic needs
• the right to safety
• the right to be informed
• the right to choice
• the right to be heard
• the right to seek redressal
• the right to consumer education

A.  Functioning of central and state government departments

Right to Information Act 2005 mandates timely response to citizen requests for government information. It is an initiative taken by Department of Personnel and Training, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions to provide a– RTI Portal Gateway to the citizens for quick search of information on the details of first Appellate Authorities, PIOs etc. amongst others, besides access to RTI related information / disclosures published on the web by various Public Authorities under the government of India as well as the State Governments

• Insisting on a cash memo from a seller is consumer's duty.

Consumer movement is nothing but consumers forming small groups to express their solidarity.
Consumer movement was a result of dissatisfaction of consumers.
Consumer Movements builds pressure on the firms or businesses for expressing the consumer grievances.

• The guidelines for Consumer protection were adopted by the UN in 1985.
• Guidelines gave legitimacy to the principles of consumer rights.
• Guidelines were updated in 1999 to include environmental concerns.

Educating consumers about their rights and duties is known as consumer awareness.
Major limitation of consumers is that they are not fully aware of their rights and different Acts enacted by government for the protection of their interests.

• In case the district level consumer court dismisses case field by a consumer, the consumer has the right to appeal in the state level court.
  

Since consuming an expired medicine can endanger ones life, hence we approach a court with right to safety act. 

• ISI, Agmark and Hallmark standards are compulsory for certain products and voluntary for others.

Consumer Protection Rights Act - 1986.
Right to Information Act - 2005.

The consumer redressal process in India is expensive and time consuming.
The consumers have to appoint lawyers for their redressal in the courts.
If the case is going for appeal, the cost increases further.

The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission head office is located in New Delhi.
It was established uset upon the guidelines of Consumer Protection Act, 1986.

As per the Consumer Protection Act 1986, the right to seek redressal against unfair trade practices or restrictive trade practices or unscrupulous exploitation of consumers’ is referred to as the right to redressal.

The Central Excise and Salt Act. 1944 (I of 1944) was amended in 1991 to enable the Central Government to create the Consumer Welfare Fund where the money that is not refundable to the manufacturers etc. shall be credited. The money credited to the Fund is to be utilized by the Central Govt. (Department of Consumer Welfare) for the welfare of the consumers in accordance with the Rules framed.  The Fund has been set up by the Department of Revenue and, is being operated by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Department of Consumer Affairs.

Consumer Protection Act, 1986 is an Act of the Parliament
of India enacted in 1986 to protect the interests of consumers in India. It
makes provision for the establishment of consumer councils and other
authorities for the settlement of consumers' disputes and for matters connected
therewith. Consumer Protection Councils are established at the national, state
and district level to increase consumer awareness

 In the field of consumer protection,the civil supplies department started a weekly programme called "Apne Adhikar" brodcasted by commercial stations of All India Radio. The main purpose of this programme was to educate consumers about their rights under various legistlations and measures undertaken by government to protect their interest.

The Consumer Protection Act, 1986 (COPRA) is an act of the parliament  of India enacted in 1986 to protect the interests of consumers in India. It is replaced by The Consumer Protection Act 2019. It is made for the establishment of consumer councils and other authorities for the settlement of consumer's grievances and matters connected therewith it. The act was passed in Assembly in October 1986 and came into force on December 24, 1986. The statute on the right was made before this COPRA act.

Sarava Priya scheme means:A scheme where essential items are distributed at low rates.

The Competition Act 2002:

This Act is related to monopolies and restrictive trade practices Act 1969. This Act is formed to encourage healthy competition and protect consumers from companies which hamper competition.

The Standard of Weights and Measures Act 1976:

This Act provides protection to consumers against malpractices of underweight, under measure. The provision of this Act is applicable on those goods which are sold or distributed by weight and measure.

The Prevention of Food Adulteration Act 1954:

This Act is formed to check Adulteration of food articles and ensure their purity so that the health of general public can be maintained.

Agmark is given for agricultural products. 
Agmark symbol ensures quality of agricultural products.
Products marked with ISI or Agmark symbol are considered to be of good standard.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is an agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and debate policy.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that is concerned with international public health. It was established on 7 April 1948, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. The WHO is a member of the United Nations Development Group. Its predecessor, the Health Organization, was an agency of the League of Nations.

In India, 24th December is being observed as National Consumer Day. On this day the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 had received the assent of the President. The enactment of this Act was considered as a historic milestone in the consumer movement in the country. This Act aims to provide consumers with effective safeguards against different types of exploitation such as defective goods, unsatisfactory services and unfair trade practices.

ISI stands for Indian Standards Institute.
ISI mark is given for products of domestic consumption.

Besides the national commission there are state commissions and 35,569 district forums.

The consumer movement is an effort to promote consumer protection through an organized social movement which is in many places led by consumer organizations. It advocates for the rights of consumers, especially when those rights are infringed by the actions of corporations, governments, and other organizations which provide products & services to consumers.

Frequent food shortages, hoarding, black marketing gave birth to the consumer movement in an organized form in the 1960s.The consumer movement is an effort to
promote consumer protection through an organized social movement which is in
many places led by consumer organizations. It advocates for the rights of
consumers, especially when those rights are infringed by the actions of corporations,
governments, and other organizations which provide products & services to
consumers.

The consumer movement is an effort to promote consumer protection through organized social movements which in many places led by consumer organizations. It represents the rights of consumers, especially whose rights are infringed by the actions of corporations, governments, and other organizations which provide products & services to consumers.

Right to Information is an Act of the Parliament of India and replaces the Freedom of information Act, 2002. Under the provisions of the Act, any citizen of India may request information from a body of the government which would then be required to reply within thirty days. The Act also requires every public authority to computerize their records to certain categories of information so that the citizens need minimum recourse to request for information formally.

The cases dealt in state level courts have the claims between Rs 20 lakhs and Rs 1 crores.

Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and Fair Debt Collection Practices Act are the two consumer laws of United States.

Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act: this is abbreviated as FFDCA. This law includes set of laws passed by Congress in 1938 giving authority to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to oversee the safety of food, drugs, and cosmetics.

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act: this was approved in the year 1977. It establishes legal protection from abusive debt collection practices.

COPRA is nothing but the Consumer Protect Act. It was introduced in the year 1986 by government of India to safeguard the rights of consumers from the greedy business people aiming only for the profits.

The greedy practices followed by sellers to make extra profits as a result of lack of consumer awareness include black marketing, misleading advertisements to improve the sale of quality less goods, overcharging than the original.

Among the given options, state level consumer law of United States is California Department of Consumer Affairs. This department ensures professionalism in key industries and promotes consumer awareness. 

2005 was a momentous year for right to information in India because it saw the enactment of a national right to information law. The Central Act was passed by the Indian Parliament on 12 May 2005 and received Presidential assent on 15 June 2005. It came into force on 12 October 2005.

Steps have been taken by government for consumer protection and awareness. Government adopted six points under joint action plan, which include:

• Action against fake, substandard products
  
• Developing a self-regulation code
  
• Launching of joint awareness campaigns
  
• Ear marking of CSR funds for consumer welfare activities
  
• Jointly developing and implementing industry standards for grievance and redressal
  
• All industry to partner with national and state helplines.
  

The measures take up by government to protect consumers from exploitation
includes providing trademarks like ISI, AGMARK for agricultural goods, and Hall
mark for gold. It also provides consumer education and awareness through
various means like customer care services and making it necessary to mentioning
as much as possible information about the product on the wrapper or outer cover.

The greedy practices followed by sellers to make extra profits as a result of lack of consumer awareness include underweight and under-measurements, poor quality goods, increased prices, black marketing, misleading advertisements to improve the sale of quality less goods, overcharging than the original.

The act that provides relief to buyers of goods in case the goods purchased do not comply with the expressed condition is the Sale of Goods Act.

Indian Tolls Act deals with Government to levy Tolls on Public Roads and Bridges and Sheriffs' Fees Act for making better provision for the Sheriffs of Calcutta, Madras and Bombay. These two acts have nothing to do with the customer service.

Grahak Suvidha Kendras are new initiatives of government which acts as a one stop centre for different consumer welfare services. By March 2015 there were six Grahak Suvidha Kendras located at Ahmadabad, Bangalore, Jaipur, Kolkata, Patna and Delhi. Therefore among the given options Hyderabad does not have Grahak Suvidha Kendras by March 2015.

The Standards of Weights and Measures Act was passed in the year 1976 by Indian Government. This was passed to establish standards of weights and measures, to regulate trade or commerce to safeguard consumer interests.

Consumer Protection Act, 1986 is an act of parliament passed in the year 1986 to protect the interests of consumers in India. It is very important because of the following functions 

• The right to be protected against the marketing of goods which are hazardous to life and property, 
• The right to informed about the quality, quantity, potency, purity, standard and price of goods, 
• The right to be assured, wherever possible access to a variety of goods at competitive prices.

AGMARK = Agricultural Mark i.e. the Certification and Standardization Mark for packaged Agricultural products in India. The AGMARK is legally enforced in India by the Agricultural Produce (Grading and Marking) Act of 1937 (and amended in 1986).

Consumer Protection Act, 1986 is an Act of the Parliament of India enacted in 1986 to protect the interests of consumers in India. It makes provision for the establishment of consumer councils and other authorities for the settlement of consumers' disputes and for matters connected therewith also.

The Consumer Protection Act, 1986 (COPRA) is an act of the Parliament  of India enacted in 1986 to protect the interests of consumers in India.  It is made for the establishment of consumer councils and other authorities for the settlement of consumer's grievances and matters connected therewith it. The act was passed in Assembly in October 1986 and came into force on December 24, 1986.

The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, India is a quasi-judicial commission in India which was set up in 1988 under the Consumer Protection Act, 1986. Its head office is in New Delhi.

One of the many uses of Consumer act is to create awareness that makes us alert so that we can question the price and quality of the goods and services we buy and use. It also creates a social concern by making sure that the products and services we use are not produced in a situation that harms others.

Customer value is defined as the difference between the benefits a customer gains from owning and/or using a product and the costs of obtaining the product.

The National Consumer Service was established in India in 1963.

Consumer awareness is about making the consumer aware of his / her rights. It is also about making the consumer aware about the product.

The Molony Committee, which investigated consumer protection in the UK, was appointed in 1959.

Individuals or households save money by reducing their current consumption, which allows them to allocate resources for future use.

The Consumer Protection Act (COPRA) applies to all goods and services unless specifically exempted by the Central Government.

Before the 1991 economic reforms, India followed a protectionist policy that strictly controlled the import of consumer goods to encourage domestic production.

Under the Consumer Protection Act, the definition of 'person' is broad and includes firms, Hindu Undivided Families, and co-operative societies.

The original Guidelines for Consumer Protection were adopted by the United Nations in 1985, following a successful campaign initiated by Consumers International.

• Consumer Movement is nothing but consumers forming small groups to express their solidarity. 
  
• Consumer Movement builds pressure on the firms or businesses for expressing their grievances.
• A consumer group can also represent an individual consumer in the Consumer Courts.
  

The organisations that monitor and issue the ISI, Agmark and Hallmark certificates to the producers actually monitor their quality standards.Agmark certification issued for standardization of food.
Hallmark certification issued for standardization of jewellery.
ISI certification issued for standardization of domestic consumption goods.

The three-tier quasi-judicial machinery under COPRA is: 

• COPRA 1986 enabled the government to establish central consumer protection council.

• Minister of the consumer affairs is the chairman of the council.
• Councils can be set up at state and district levels.
• Objective of these councils is to protect the basic rights of consumers.