Consumer Rights
Taking the consumer movement forward
Assess the progress and problems of the consumer movement.
National Consumers' Day. India observes 24 December as National Consumers' Day: on this day in 1986, Parliament passed the Consumer Protection Act. India is one of the countries with separate authorities just for consumer redressal.
Progress. The movement has grown in numbers and activity: there are more than 2000 consumer groups in India. But just 50-60 or so are well organised and widely known for what they do.
Problems.
- The redressal process is becoming cumbersome, expensive and slow.
- Consumers often have to hire lawyers, and cases need time for filing and attending hearings.
- Shops often do not give a cash memo (bill), so evidence is hard to collect. Always ask for, and keep, the bill.
- Most purchases are small retail sales, which people rarely fight over.
COPRA 2019: stronger protection. The Act was amended in 2019:
- buying through the internet is now covered;
- if a product is defective or a service is deficient, the manufacturer or service provider is held responsible and can be penalised or even imprisoned;
- settling disputes through a neutral mediator, outside the commission, is now encouraged at all three tiers.
Still a long way to go. More than 30 years after COPRA, consumer awareness is spreading, but slowly. Laws that protect consumers, especially workers in the unorganised sector, are often not properly enforced. Rules about quality are often ignored. The consumer movement can succeed only with the active participation of everyone: consumers who know their rights and use them.
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