Many people are confused between World Consumer Day (Which is celebrated on 15th March) and National Consumer Day (Which is celebrated on 24th December).
Both days have similar motives but they arrive on different dates.
Before understanding the significance of this day, we must know who is a consumer and why is it important to know about it?
Anyone who consumes any goods and service and pays for it is considered as a consumer. A consumer can be a person taking some services of purchasing milk or any other food item
National Consumer Rights Day 2021: Importance
It becomes important to celebrate National Consumer Day because the relationship between buyer and seller involves money and money is the most useful thing as well as the biggest threat to humanity.
Government has fixed prices and rates for almost every goods and every service but most of the sellers play their tricky part and quote prices other than government prices which leads to threat of Consumer rights.
There has to be equality in prices and the prices that consumer is consuming something and for equality there has to be proper awareness which makes the existence of National Consumers Day important.
The day was made under Consumer Protection Act to save consumers from many market exploitation like different pricing and getting different or defective products.
The act came into power in 1986 after the approval by the president of India, it is said that people must be aware of the facilities that the government is making for the consumers and to make it possible this day was formed.
National Consumer Rights Day 2021: History
The day is celebrated on 24th December every year, the formation of this day was held in 1986 under Consumer Protection Act.
This day was made to protect consumer’s rights and to make people aware about it. This step is one of those steps which the government took to control the market exploitations.
On one hand every great salesman or business man believes that there is no bigger asset than a happy customer and on other hand almost every salesman misuses the consumer right to earn his own profit.
It’s not easy to keep the consumers’ rights protected as every day there is a new scam and new technique to exploit it but people must be aware about it which makes the significance of this day very important.
Consumer Rights in India
The Consumer Protection Act 1986 gives 6 basic rights to the consumers:
- Right to choose the product.
- Right to be protected from all kind of hazardous goods.
- Right to be informed about the performance and quality of all products.
- Right to be heard in all decision-making processes related to consumer interests.
- Right to seek redressal, whenever consumer rights have been infringed.
- Right to complete consumer education.
Interesting facts-
1. Protection from hazardous goods
It is the consumer’s right to be protected from false marketing of any goods or services that can be hazardous to human life or property, such as artificial coloring used in food.
2. Knowing all the product information
The consumer has the right to know every bit of information about the product they are buying. From the start to end process, it should all be transparent.
3. You can bargain and negotiate the price
What most consumers do not know is that they can set their own offer on the maximum retail price (MRP) as this has no interference from the government.
4. There are consumer education programs
Several awareness programs on consumer rights and protection have been organized by the government of India — a prime example of this is ‘Jago Grahak Jago’.
5. A healthy environment is a consumer right
Consumers have the right to seek protection against pollution for a better quality of life.
