Prof. V. S. Verma
The word consumerism means the consumption of resources by the people. It is a process and habit of the chronic purchasing of new goods and services, with scant attention to the true need, durability, origin of the product or the environmental impacts during manufacture and disposal. Modern societies that are based on using large amounts of goods, especially those that are manufactured for one time use, are extremely wasteful. The current consumption patterns are depleting non-renewable resources, poisoning and degrading ecosystems, and altering the natural processes on which life depends.
World Consumer Rights Day (ECRD) is celebrated throughout the world on 15th March. This is annual occasion for celebration and solidarity within the international consumer movement. It marks the date in 1962 when US President John F. Kennedy, in an historic address to the US Congress outlined his vision of consumer rights. Kennedy asserted that ‘consumers are the largest economic group, affecting and affected by almost every public and private economic decision, yet they are the only important group whose views are often not heard. WCRD is an opportunity to promote the basic rights of all consumers, for demanding that those rights are respected and protected, and for protesting the market abuses and social injustices which undermine them. Consumerism is defined as organized efforts of consumers seeking redress, restitution and remedy for dissatisfaction they have accumulated in the acquisition of their standard of living. Over time, the consumer movement has developed this vision into a set of eight basic consumer rights:
The right to satisfaction of basic needs – To have access to basic, essential goods and services: adequate food, clothing, shelter, health care, education, public utilities, water and sanitation.
The right to safety – To be protected against products, production processes and services that are hazardous to health or life.
The right to be informed – To be given the fact needed to make an informed choice, and to be protected against dishonest or misleading advertising and labelling.
The right to choose – To be able to select from a range of products and services, offered at competitive prices with an assurance of satisfactory quality.
The right to be heard – To have consumer interests represented in the making and execution of Government policy, and in the development of products and services.
The right to redress – To receive a fair settlement of just claims, including compensation for misrepresentation, shoddy goods or unsatisfactory services.
The right to consumer education – To acquire knowledge and skills needed to make informed, confident choices about goods and services, while being aware of basic consumer rights and responsibilities and how to act on them.
The right to a healthy environment – To live and work in an environment that is non-threatening to the well-being of present and future generations.
Besides consumer rights, consumer responsibilities are equally important for being the consumer movement really meaningful which needs to be strictly followed. In 1980s, Consumer International President Anwar Fazal led the call to introduce a set of consumer responsibilities to compliment consumer rights: defined the very well defined the consumer responsibilities which remain crucial principles for many consumer rights organizations today:
Critical awareness – consumers must be awakened to be more questioning about the provision of the quality of goods and services.
Involvement or action – consumers must assert themselves and act to ensure that they get a fair deal.
Social responsibility – consumers must act with social responsibility, with concern and sensitivity to the impact of their actions on other citizens, in particular, in relation to disadvantaged groups in the community and in relation to the economic and social realties prevailing.
Ecological responsibility – there must be a heightened sensitivity to the impact of consumer decisions on the physical environment, which must be developed to a harmonious way, promoting conservation as the most critical factor in improving the real quality of life for the present and the future.
Solidarity – the best and most effective action is through cooperative efforts through the formation of consumer/citizen groups who together can have the strength and influence to ensure that adequate attention is given to the consumer interest.
The Consumer Protection Act provides for three-tier machinery for the redressal of consumer grievances at national level (National; Commission), state level (State Commission) and district level (District Forum). In India, though a lot of awareness has been observed among consumers, yet the more awareness needs to be awakened and the consumer has to tread a long journey to harvest the prevailing laws and not get swayed by fake promises by the sellers by way of luring advertisements on print and electronic media.
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