The Following Chart Provides The Details of Basic requirements of an organisation

Family Economics And Consumer Education 3 (2+1)

Lesson 20 : Consumer Welfare Organization

The Following Chart Provides The Details of Basic requirements of an organisation

The following Chart Provides The Details
Consumer organizations are involved in protecting the right of the consumers and try to promote social justice and fairness in the market. Consumer organizations have to find out the specific problems of consumers and try to solve them through counseling, education and information services. Following activities of consumers organizations are identified in this context.

  • To impart consumer education and to provide information.
  • Identify consumer problems and conduct research related to those problems.
  • Help solve the problems of consumers and work with communities.
  • To organize programmes of public interest.
  • Counseling and guiding consumers in case of their grievances.
  • To carry out the various activities,

The organization can have the following sections.

  1. Education of consumer education
  2. Everyone has the right to consumer education. Most of the consumers are apathetic because they are not aware of their rights. Therefore they do not have the strength to resist whenever they are cheated or exploited which they are accustomed to suffer silently.
    Consumer education aims at

    • Developing skills
    • Gaining knowledge
    • Developing understanding

    Consumer education should focus on issues like health, sanitation, nutrition, food and product safety pharmaceuticals, basic needs; environmental problems market malpractices, finance, workers rights, unethical advertisements, culture and life styles etc.
    Consumer education should cover all section of people including school and college students, teachers, women and youth groups and religious organizations etc.
    Consumer’s education should be imparted through seminars, workshops, exhibitions and drama competition on consumer issues. Consumer’s education can also include film shows, campaigns like anti-smoking and anti alcohol campaigns exhibitions of books, magazines, posters etc.

  3. Research

    Research is useful in finding out the cause for any problem that consumers face. Research may cover all the areas of consumer problems. Multi practices in market places may be studied and tests can be conducted to check safety and quality of the consumer products, water and food stuffs. The results can be published in the magazines or news papers.

  4. Grievances and complaints
  5. Consumer organization may receive complaints on consumer issues like poor quality products and services, food adulteration, unhygienic conditions, water and electric supply etc. complaints may be received through mail, telephone or in person. Such consumers need to be counseled and may be guided by the consumer organizations so that their grievances are redressed. Members may be represented by consumer organizations filing complaints in the consumer courts. Organizations may also act as arbitrator while settling consumer grievances with a business organizations and sellers.

  6. Vigilance
  7. The vigilance on the part of the consumer organization relates to the services offered by government agencies like telephone, postal services, electricity, water supply and public distribution system. Unfortunately the government functionaries are not found consumer friendly. Such services tend to become impersonal in their approach. Hence the consumer complaints against these government units can be taken up by these consumer organizations to safeguard the interests of the consumer and roads, streets etc to do their work properly.

  8. Counseling
  9. Counseling of consumers can be taken up by consumer organizations in matters like;

    • Providing assistance and legal advice to the consumers who are in need of such advice.
    • Observing implementation of laws affecting consumer interest.
    • Representing consumers of public interest cases with the government.
  10. Publication and media
  11. Publications like newsletters and magazines brought out periodical by consumer organizations can become the medium of communication between the consumer activities and consumer public. Consumers can be informed about issues of consumer interest through the columns of their publications. Consumers can also contribute their share by informing their plights and problems. Organization can keep the consumers informed of the latest developments, notices of public meetings, land mark judgements in the consumer cases etc.
    The news letters or the publication of the organization can cover the following aspects.

    • Articles of consumer interest
    • Case studies on common consumer grievances settlements
    • Consumer complaints and their redressel
    • Consumer laws and their provisions
    • Consumer responsibilities
    • Procedure for consumer grievances redressel

    Newsletters can be sold at nominal prices. The collection could be adequate to meet the printing and publishing costs.

  12. Library:
  13. Library of a consumer organization can be a good information center for consumers. Such a library should contain a wide range of books, journals, research reports and pamphlets along with press clippings to meet the reference needs of the consumer. Library premises can be used as a meeting point for the members of the organization. A library is an ideal for displaying charts posters etc.

  14. Public meeting:
  15. Consumer organization should organize public meetings and involve more people to participate in the discussion on consumerism. The deliberations must be conducted in a democratic way and discuss issues peacefully. Open discussions in public meetings will augment the consumer movement.
    Public meetings will make the consumer to conduct themselves with discipline. The suppliers of goods and services should also be involved to attend such meetings. So that they can understand the consumers issues properly. In their absence the record of the meetings may be sent to them.
    Following guidelines could be useful for conveying public meetings.

    • Regularity of convening public meetings.
    • Announcement of the proposed meetings.
    • Venue of meetings to be notified.
    • Conduct of meeting in an informal manner.
  16. Protests
  17. Consumers have a “right to protest” when they are exploited. Demand for justice in relation to rights guaranteed in the constitution of India and in the consumer protection act 1986 and consumers can express their protest against any exploitation consumers can choose right form of protests.
    Following are the some of the forms of protests generally adapted on consumer related issues

    • Protests by individuals
    • Co operative protests
    • Written protests
    • Protest marches
    • Fasting as a form of protest
  1. Protest by individuals
  2. An individual can protest and the protest may be in the form of dharna, fasting, writing letters to the concerned authorities on news papers, magazines etc against injustice done. Alternatively president of a consumer organization can take up himself individually to protest against and do justice to consumers.

  3. Co operative protest
  4. A large group of may protest and focus the attention of the authorities against common issues like water supply, cleaning of garbage etc. such protests are organized in a cooperative form in a collective way.

  5. Written protests
  6. Written protests can be organized with the guidance of consumer organizations if grievances affect large number of people protests can be made against officers who do not respond to public grievances despite reminders, written protests may be written in post card and posted simultaneously by all. They may be addressed to the officer or to the higher authorities of the concerned department; such protests will force them to take corrective action. Consumer organization may draft the letters and dispatch them.

  7. Protest marches
  8. Protest marches are organized when other strategies fail to achieve desired results. Such protest marches require participation of large number of participants. Protest marches should be organized in a peaceful way without disrupting traffic and the mob rioting etc.

  9. Protest fasting
  10. Protest fasting can be carried out by single person or people can resort to “relay fasts”. Protest fasting will focus attention of the authorities against consumer’s grievances. Care should be taken to see that fasting protests do not create law and order problem.

    Consumer organizations should consider carefully the advantages and disadvantages of a particular type of protest and decide the most appropriate type of protest against consumer grievances.
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Last modified: Thursday, 5 April 2012, 4:37 AM