Morung Express News
Dimapur | June 19
The Nagaland Voluntary Consumers’ Organisation president, Kezhokhoto Savi, has stated that “consumer awareness is low due to the apathy and lack of education among the masses, especially in rural areas. No one has told them about their rights to be informed about product quality, price, protection against unsafe product, access to variety of goods at competitive price, consumer education, etc.”
Savi, in the Nagaland Voluntary Consumers’ Organisation (NVCO) booklet on ‘Consumer Awareness, RTI Campaign and Right to Food’ as part of capacity building, has also pointed out: “What consumerism lacks here are education and information resources, testing facilities, competent leadership, price control mechanism and adequate quasi-judicial machinery.”
Dwelling in depth on the issue of promotion and protection of consumer rights in Nagaland, the NVCO president stated that the providers of goods and services have been reluctant to give due consideration to consumer interest protection. However, he maintained, it should be understood that a consumer is the focal point of any business and that consumers’ satisfaction will benefit not only business but the government and the society as well.
“As the fact of life is that the consumers are still the victims of unscrupulous and exploitative practices, consumers must be aware of their rights, raise voice against exploitation and seek redressal of their grievances. Consumer’s consciousness determines the effectiveness of consumerism,” the NVCO president stressed. Stating that it is the duty of the consumer to identify his rights and to protect them, Savi, however, asserted that it has been realised that consumer protection is a socioeconomic programme to be perused by the government as well as the business community, as the satisfaction of the consumer is in the interest of both parties.
In this context, the president stated that the consumers’ interests and rights can be addressed through appropriate policy measures, legal structure and administrative framework, and that voluntary consumer organisations are to create more awareness by conducting consumer awareness programmes or campaigns, while encouraging the mass to safeguard their interests is another important element of consumer movement.
Suggesting some measures to be adopted by state agencies and NGOs to generate general awareness among the consumers about their rights, Savi stated that the public must be trained through educative schemes and programmes to form the habit of taking receipts from shopkeepers, sellers or traders for the goods, items, products or any other material purchased or services availed of in order to be well equipped for relief under the Consumer Protection Act, 1986.
He further suggested the organising of “symposia, district and national seminars, workshops and conference to generate general awareness about the rights of consumers among the public with the same spirit as adopted in pulse polio programme”, further suggesting “debate and competition at school level to impart education about misleading and fraudulent audio-visual advertisements regarding consumer goods and products.” The NVCO president also advised distribution of handbills, pamphlets and relevant materials among the public regarding consumer rights on a regular basis while emphasising on publishing attractive and eye-catching advertisements in newspapers to warn the public against being deceived by fraudulent commercial advertisements.
Savi further suggested that the state should immediately adopt effective remedial measures to regulate and prohibit audiovisual advertisements concealing the true nature and quality of consumer products. “State should also endeavour to establish Consumer Redressal units at village levels so as to provide immediate, speedy and inexpensive remedy to poor masses residing in villages,” he added.
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