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IMPA conducts training programme on Consumer Protection Aseem Sawhney delivers valedictory lecture to participants- Govt officials 7/7/2012 2:00:29 AM JAMMU: J&K IMPA (Institute of Management, Public Administration and Rural Development) conducted a five days training programme on Redressal Mechanism for Consumer Protection, sponsored by DOPT, Government of India, under the Course Directorship of Dr. Sunita Zalpuri, Associate Professor, J&K IMPA Jammu. The participants were drawn from Municipality, Education, CAPD and Legal Metrology Departments. The training threw light on the consumer Protection Act 1986 and J&K Consumer Protection Act of 1987. The programme exposed the participants to the concept of better protection on the consumer and various sessions were delivered by Dr. Sunita Zalpuri Koul, Prof. Reeta Jitender, Mr. Raman Sharma, Mr. R.K. Hakim, Prof. Indu Aima, Mr. Aseem Sawhney. The participants were given input on J&K consumer Protection Act, Consumer Right and NGOs, Role of Media and Consumer Awareness measures, Global Quest for sustainable consumption. Ms. Kusum Sharma, KAS, also provided all logistics and moral support. Mr Aseem Sawhney, lawyer and journalist (Editor Daily JOURNEY LINE) while shedding light on the topic - Consumer Interest, Market Forces and Role of media, said that the role of media which is the fourth pillar of democray has become pivotal in all aspects of governance. Be it the anti corruption tirade or the implementation of RTI or the Consumer Protection movement. He cited the example of Jago Gharak Jago- slogan which explains that the Govt and the media are making all out efforts fro the awakening of the consumer. He said that viz a viz the consumer protection act which is a baby of the British law of torts, is still waiting to blossom in its full spring, since the people in India are disillusioned with the idea of filing consumer complaints as the litigation is notorious for being cumbersume and justice is a long drawn battle. Consumer complaints are not preferred by the consumers for variety of practical reasons he said. Like shortage of Consumer Courts in Jammu & Kashmir. He said there are two Divisional level forums and one State Commission, thus the Forums are overburdened. State Commmission has to function in Jammu as well as Srinagar so the work gets affected while the durbar is in the other capital. Besides, it takes years and years for the complaints to be decided and then Appeals and then the matter is finally stuck up in the High Court. To say that one does not need a lawyer in these foras is something else but in actual when there are complex legal issues of procedures, filing affidavits, evidence etc, then one needs legal help, he said. Mr Aseem cited various examples of consumer cases where the media has highlighted the cases and the consumer movement has received a shot in the arm. He said that in the early times, consumer was considered as King of the market but in the contemporary society, consumers are no longer safe against the mal practices such as, substandard goods and unsatisfactory services. The consumer has every right to reject any product or services rendered by any manufacturer in the market and can mould them to produce goods of their choice. Indian Consumer are ignorant, illiterate and do no know the role of consumption vis-a-vis economic system as well as quality of life. When they are ignorant of their rights, they cannot know their responsibility as consumers. Consumers in the market find themselves deceived by wrong weights and measures, adulterated and substandard products causing great damages to health. Neelkanta and Anand (1992) found that people prefer to absorb and endure the wrong done to them rather than fight against injustice. This is because consumers do not know the ways and means of facing them confidently. At present the consumer movement in India is in its infancy. Vast majority of the people are not even aware of consumerism as a movement closely connected with the protection of their interest. Many constitutional provisions have been made by government to protect the consumers. Until and unless the consumers avail of these provisions, the protection of consumer becomes inevitable. There is a great need to make them aware of their rights and responsibilities. Mass Media are viewed as mass media because their reach extends the vast heterogeneous masses of the population of the country at the same time. With the help of mass media messages can be sent and received in any part of the world may be rural or urban. Role of media- print media as well as electronic media is the awareness of people as well as society has increased enormously. Electronic media has more impact on society as compare to print media because it is visual aid of information The press in India has always shown its solidarity with the socio economic problems of this country. There are no two opinions about the significant contribution that press, journalists, and the media people have done good work in bringing to light the major issues of social concern. The press in India has always been responsive in performing its duties so that those who are involved in the matters of policy making can give justice to their duties. There is no dearth example as to how the press has played a major role in unearthing certain scandals where people in the corridors of power were involved. It is not a singular matter for Indian media to take up issues, where a collective action, legislation, and policy decisions was an urgent need. Various legislations, administrative actions and even mass participations from different sections of society with divergent interest were possible only because of initiative and lead taken by media people. May it be a problem of national integration, social unity, and economic injustice, upliftment of down-trodden or educational and economic advancement? Earlier the readership was the only criteria to assess the affectivity of media, as it was only print media that was its mark. The development of movies brought a big change. People now could see and listen what the communicator wanted to say? Literacy was no more a criteria to establish a link with audience and viewers. Multiplicities of communication media have brought a sea change in the psychology of people. People became more awakened, well-informed and cautious. They could know different views of the same problem; they could perceive, understand and analyze a situation well. Further advancement of media and mass literacy has also changed the composition of our society. Now, people are becoming conscious and logical thinking and rational bent of mind. The role of media has also broadened. It has undertaken many ventures, along with entertainment, education and enhancement of social structure. Thus, the new media is a mirror of modern society expressing its needs, aspirations, expectations and failures. Every individual is a consumer, regardless of occupation, age, gender, community or religious affiliation. Consumer rights and welfare are now an integral part of the life of an individual and we all have made use of them at some or the other point in our daily routine. Every year 15th March is observed as “World Consumer Rights Day”. It commemorates a historic declaration (1962) by former US President John F. Kennedy of four basic consumer rights: : The right to safety :The right to be informed : The right to choose : The right to be heard This declaration eventually led to the international recognition of the fact that all citizens, regardless of their incomes or social standing, have basic rights as consumers. Another significant day is 9 April 1985, when the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted a set of guidelines for consumer protection and the Secretary General of the United Nations was authorized to persuade member countries to adopt these guidelines through policy changes or law. Now it is universally accepted that the consumer has a right to be provided with all relevant information in order to avoid exploitation and make a considered choice in availing of products and services from the market. These rights are well-defined, both on international and national platform and several agencies like the Government as well as voluntary organizations are constantly working towards safeguarding them. In India, 24th December is celebrated as “National Consumer Rights Day”, since the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 was enacted on this day. The Consumer Protection Act was enacted in 1986 based on United Nations guidelines with the objective of providing better protection of consumers’ interests. The Act provides for effective safeguards to consumers against various types of exploitations and unfair dealings, relying on mainly compensatory rather than a punitive or preventive approach. It applies to all goods and services unless specifically exempted and covers the private, public and cooperative sectors and provides for speedy and inexpensive adjudication. Mr Aseem Sawhney said that the rights under the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 flow from the rights enshrined in Articles 14 to 19 of the Constitution of India. The Right to Information Act (RTI), which has opened up governance processes of our country to the common public also, has far-reaching implications for consumer protection. As per the Act, a ‘Consumer’ has been defined as: :Any person who buys goods for consideration, and any person who uses goods with the approval of the purchaser. Any person, who hires any service for a consideration and any beneficiary of such services, provided the service is availed with the approval of the person who had hired the service for a consideration. Moreover, the consideration for either the goods or services may be either paid or promised, or partly paid or promised, or provided under a system of deferred payment.The Act envisages the promotion and protection of the following rights of consumers: Right to Safety: Means right to be protected against the marketing of goods and services, which are hazardous to life and property. The purchased goods and services availed of should not only meet their immediate needs, but also fulfill long term interests. Before purchasing, consumers should insist on the quality of the products as well as on the guarantee of the products and services. They should preferably purchase quality marked products such as ISI, AGMARK, etc. Right to be Informed: Means right to be informed about the quality, quantity, potency, purity, standard and price of goods so as to protect the consumer against unfair trade practices. Consumer should insist on getting all the information about the product or service before making a choice or a decision. This will enable him to act wisely and responsibly and also enable him to desist from falling prey to high pressure selling techniques. Right to Choose:Means right to be assured, wherever possible of access to variety of goods and services at competitive price. In case of monopolies, it means right to be assured of satisfactory quality and service at a fair price. It also includes right to basic goods and services. This is because unrestricted right of the minority to choose can mean a denial for the majority of its fair share. This right can be better exercised in a competitive market where a variety of goods are available at competitive prices. Right to be Heard: Means that consumer’s interests will receive due consideration at appropriate forums. It also includes right to be represented in various forums formed to consider the consumer’s welfare. The consumers should form nonpolitical and non-commercial consumer organizations which can be given representation in various committees formed by the Government and other bodies in matters relating to consumers. 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. 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 organizations in seeking redressal of their grievances. Right to Consumer Education: Right to consumer education means the right to acquire the knowledge and skill to be an informed consumer throughout life. Ignorance of consumers, particularly of rural consumers, is mainly responsible for their exploitation. They should know their rights and must exercise them. Only then real consumer protection can be achieved with success. Thus, the concern of consumer protection is to ensure fair trade practices; quality of goods and efficient services with information to the consumer with regard to quality, quantity, potency, composition and price for their choice of purchase. Such a consumer protection policy creates an environment whereby the clients, customers,and consumers receive satisfaction from the delivery of goods and services needed by them. As a general rule, the problem of society, a social group or in some cases, the problems of individual are well expressed by no one else but media. Our civilization is characterized by impact of media on its structure, valu system and outlook. Many socioeconomic problems, education of masses and social awakening can best be done by media. Media presently deals with problems of current importance. Where investigative journalism, reporting of pertinent and important facts and high lightening those events which otherwise cannot be noticed occupies prime position. Due to advent of T.V… a large section of society is now influenced by media activities to a great extent. It has become a silent opinion maker and hence it is working on a larger plane than any other institution. In the current past, media has undertaken the job of consumer education and fighting against exploitation of consumers.

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