NATIONAL CONSUMER DAY (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Economy)

Context: The Department of Consumer Affairs celebrated the National Consumer Day 2023 in New Delhi with focus on leveraging technology for consumer protection and grievance redressal.

National Consumer Day

• About: In India, National Consumer Day is commemorated on the 24th of December each year.
• World Consumer Rights Day: 15 March
• Focus: On leveraging technology for consumer protection and grievance redressal
• Reasons for Celebrating: The celebration aims to raise awareness about consumer rights and responsibilities.
• Origin: In 1986, on this day, the Consumer Protection Act received presidential assent, intending to educate people about their consumer rights.
• Significance: It provides an opportunity for the government to highlight the protection of consumer rights and encourages citizens to actively engage in this cause.

Consumer Rights

• About: The right to have information about the quality, potency, quantity, purity, price and standard of goods or services', as it may be the case, but the consumer is to be protected against any unfair practices of trade.
• Right to Safety: It means right to be protected against the marketing of goods and services, which are hazardous to life and property. 
• Right to be Informed: It means right to be informed about the quality, quantity, potency, purity, standard and price of goods so as to protect the consumer against unfair trade practices.
• Right to Choose: It means right to be assured, wherever possible of access to variety of goods and services at competitive price. 
• Right to be Heard: It means that consumer's interests will receive due consideration at appropriate forums. 
• Right to Seek Redressal: It means right to seek redressal against unfair trade practices or unscrupulous exploitation of consumers.
• Right to Consumer Education: It means the right to acquire the knowledge and skill to be an informed consumer throughout life. Ignorance of consumers, particularly of rural consumers, is mainly responsible for their exploitation.