In India, the consumer movement emerged because of social reasons. It was felt that it is necessary to protect the interests of consumers against unfair practices of traders. Rampant food shortages, hoarding, black marketing, and adulteration of food and edible oil gave birth to growing dissatisfaction among consumers with dishonest traders. This led to a consumer movement in an organized manner. Since 1962, 15 March of every year is celebrated as World Consumer Rights Day. The spread of the consumer movement in India has been influenced by the Government of India in favor of consumer protection. They enacted the Consumer Protection Act in 1986 to safeguard the interests of consumers.
Consumer Protection Act
The Consumer Protection Act, 1986, made the provision for setting up a three-tier system of consumer courts at the national, state, and district levels. This lead to the formation of the National Consumer Commission at the national level, the State Consumer Commission at the state level, and the District Forum at the district level. Consumer grievances and complaints against traders are checked at these three levels. Also, they provide relief and compensation to the affected consumers. Currently, there are more than 500 district courts functioning in the three-tier system of India.
Right to Information
The Right to Information (RTI) Act was passed on 15 June 2005 and came into force on 13 October 2005. According to the provisions of the RTI Act, the right to information means the right to access information held by or under the control of any public authority. It includes the right to
- Inspection of work, documents and records
- Making notes, certified copies of documents or records
- Making certified samples of material
- Receiving information in the form of CDs or in any other form of electronic mode or through printouts where that information is stored in a computer or in any other device.
Rights and Duties of a Consumer
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