National Consumer Rights Day is celebrated on 24 December. That too with a special theme every year. On National Consumer Rights Day only the Consumer Protection Act had been embraced by the President of India in the year 1986. The ordinance of the Act is measured as the momentous landmark in the way of the consumer movement in India.
National Consumer Rights Day main objective is to make consumers aware of the importance of consumer movement in India. To make individuals aware of their responsibilities and rights, if they as a consumer face any issue. For instance, if any consumer has a complaint regarding a shop or a company about its product or if they have been cheated then they can complain in Consumer Forum. Hence we celebrate the National Consumer Right Day, in India.
National Consumer Rights Day is based very closely on World Consumer Day. It was celebrated on 15 March 1962. The U.S. President Mr John F Kennedy was the first person to make aware of consumer rights in the world. In 1983 the first consumer movement was marked and to date, it has been celebrated to make people aware of their rights. He had sent the letter to the US Congress and formally addressed the issue on 15 March 1962.
Initially, there was a Consumer Protection Act in 1986 but 2 years ago New consumer protection act of 2019 was made legal.
Consumer Protection Act 1986
- There was no separate regulator as the provisions.
- In consumer, court complaints can be filed where the seller office is located.
- Product liability – no provision consumer could approach the civil court but not the consumer court.
- Pecuniary Jurisdiction
- District up to 20 lakhs
- State 20 lakhs to 1 crore.
- National above 1 crore.
- E-Commerce: No provisions
- Meditation cell no legal provision.
Consumers Protection Act 2019
- Central Consumer Protection Authority(CCPA) to be formed.
- The new act has a rule that complaints can be filed in consumer court where the complaint resides or works.
- Product liability consumers can seek compensation for harm caused by a product or a service.
- Pecuniary jurisdiction
- District up to 1 crore
- State 1 crore to 10 crore rupees
- National above 10 crores.
- E-commerce all rules of direct selling extends to E-commerce.
- Meditation cell court can refer to settlement through meditation.\
Themes of National Consumer Rights Day in 2020
The themes for the National Consumer Rights Day was the Sustainable Consumer.
In the year 2020, during the pandemic, the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Mr Piyush Goyal, has decided to celebrate National Consumer Rights Day virtually.
national consumer rights day
The objective of National Consumer Rights Day
The main objective of the Consumer Protection Act is to provide the consumer with a shield alongside varied types of exploitation such as the flawed, damaged, blemished goods or substandard services as well as foul trade practices. According to the report by Scroll, the Consumer protection act 1986 was considered as Magna Carta to keep the check on the foul trade practice in the field of consumer protection.
Magna Carta
Magna Carta Libertatum is a Great Charter of Freedom and it is commonly known as Magna Carta. It is a Royal Charter of Rights agreed by King John of England at Runnymede near Windsor on 15 June 1215. Constitutional liberty to which the English barons forced the King to give his assent in 1215.
Consumers Court
It has helped the consumer to a large extent and has also empowered them. The consumer courts were established to settle the disputed claims in a very inexpensive way the huge network of consumers appellate the forums for the speedy recovery of the case filed in the court.
The department of consumers has made an effort by launching slogans like ‘Jago Grahak Jago’. To make people aware of their rights and having correct information about their rights.
The people hold the very big power of selling and buying a variety of goods. The consumer must know about the rights. Western countries have well-established rules regarding consumer rights. Though in India it is still in its struggling phase.
Through the consumer’s rights act 2019 many things have avenged. E-commerce is growing more and more. Now the pandemic situation has made it compulsory for everyone to shop online hence it is gaining popularity and hence it becomes more important to know about your rights and be aware regarding the same. Hence we celebrate National Consumer Rights Day every year on 24 December. With the theme to wake people about this.
Also read: Pituitary Gland Meditation Technique
History of National Consumer Rights Day
The idea about this was prevailing after the independence but the people were not aware of this because there was no print media or television or internet facilities like today that people would know in a moment with a click of a button so it was very difficult to explain the buying and selling of the goods. The people started talking seriously after the consumer rights act 1986 was made and came into existence.
As earlier explained about this act, the main aim of the act was to make people aware of the exploitation and to shield them from that. Likewise shielding them for the flawed, damaged and blemished products or goods substandard services or unsatisfactory services as well as from the foul or unfair trade practices and even from fraud services.
Like for example, there is a very fraud happening all around the sites from the online websites where one man ordered the latest version of a Mobile phone take it. He orders an iPhone. But when the order package came it happened that soap was kept inside it and the man’s trust has been converted to fraud and no return policy would prevail.
So it has become important that you shop from an authentic website where there are return policies and 30 days after use. If you don’t like the product then also there is a return policy available likewise.
Since 1986 India economy has seen a lot of changes over the years or for the time people started celebrating National Consumer Rights Day and significantly the transformation has been in India about the shop and travelling for the products. Hence that led to the growing market industry in India.
E-COMMERCE
The innovation and the competition prevailing leading to cheaper products side by side. The sudden bounce in the E-commerce products as in this you don’t have to roam about by seating in a place you order yourself whatever you like and having a lot of options to look at and has easy payment methods, home delivery available and whatnot?
and you can order the things that are available in foreign countries and not available in your country that can come to your doorstep within 5 to 6 days.
But whether the people shop from the market itself or shop from the online website trusted and trust habits of the consumer has been somewhere disrupted or broken by any means. Hence there is a need for the law to look after that. Hence Consumer Protection Acts have been reviewed and revised according to the new emerging market and E-commerce industry.
Taking this advancement in the E-Commerce and dynamic marketplace into the perspective of the Indian government though for the revision and to update the Parliament hence passed the Consumer Protection Bill on August 6 in the year 2019.
The bill has received approval from our honourable President of India. This bill is commonly or in short term is known as CPA 2019. Hence the Ministry of Consumer Affairs and Food & Public Distribution declared the act on 9 august 2020 and hence the act of 2019 came into existence.
Ralph Nadar is the Father of the Consumer Movement in India. The First Organisation that was set up in India was the Consumer Guardians society of India. (CGSI) in Bombay in the year 1966 by Miss Leela jog and the 9 housewives as community members.
The Consumer protection act of both 1986 and 2019 was made to inform the people about the right to information and the government wanted that everything is transparent for the people including how the act is implemented for the rights of consumers.
The rights include the right to choose, the right to information and the right to safety and the right to consumer education.
Timeline for the National Consumer Rights Day
Birth of the consumer rights movement in India. Black marketing, shortage of food and the hoarding of food gave birth to the consumer rights movement in India in the late 1960s.
Maybe from there, the idea has begun to celebrate National Consumer Rights Day in India.
As we talked about the growing market in India, the raising of the economy but in the 1970s India has faced inflation rate was high. This inflation led to restlessness among the consumer because at that time there was poor technology and infrastructure.
But the government woke up and intervened and took major steps with the enactment of the Consumer Protection act 1986 and the revision takes place in 2019 when the same act has been revised in the year 2019.
Rights of Consumer
There are about 8 rights in total for the consumers. The Consumer Protection Acts contribute to these rights. Out of which 6 rights are International given by the UN charter for the ethical treatment of the consumer it is ensured by the UN. And laws for the settlement of disputes at the consumer court by the displeased consumer.
Right to Consumer Education
There is a need to be aware of the rural areas of India where consumers face exploitation due to the negligence of the officers as they are considered uneducated, given wrong information about the product, not informed well and manipulated frequently.
Right to seek Redressal
The consumer has the right to raise his voice in case of a grievance arising due to the unfair or fouled practices and also due to the cutthroat exploitation they can reach out to courts.
Right to be heard
Consumer welfare should be the priority of the government in case of disputes the consideration of the consumer interest will be given the priority.
Right to Informed
The right of the consumer to get informed about the quantity, quality, purity, standard potency and the most important the price of the good from protecting the consumer from unfair trade practices.
Right to choose
The service at the competitive levels and prices there is needed to ensure consumer access to the variety of goods available in the market. In the monopoly, there is a shield with the right to satisfactory quality and the service for a good price.
Right to safety
To protect consumers against the marketing of goods and services which can be harmful to the life of the consumers.
Frequently Asked Questions
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