CBSE Class 10 Social Science Consumer Rights Notes Set B

Consumer is a person who buys and uses a good or service from the market after making a payment.
Some common ways by which consumers may be exploited by manufacturers and traders:

• Underweight and under-measurement: Goods sold in the market are sometimes not measured or weighed correctly.

• High prices: Very often the traders charge a price higher than the prescribed retail price.

• Sub-standard quality: The goods sold are sometimes of sub-standard quality, e.g. selling medicines beyond their date of expiry, selling deficient or defective home appliances.

• Duplicate articles: In the name of genuine parts or goods, fake or duplicate items are sold.

• Adulteration and impurity: In costly edible items like oil, ghee and spices, adulteration is common in order to earn more profit. This causes heavy loss to the consumers.

• Lack of safety devices: Fake or inferior electronic goods, electrical devices or other appliances, produced locally lack the required in-built safety measures. This may cause accidents.

• Artificial scarcity: Some unscrupulous businessmen create artificial scarcity by hoarding. They sell their goods for a higher price by creating panic among consumers.

• False and incomplete information is provided by sellers which can easily mislead consumers.

• Unsatisfactory after-sale service: The suppliers do not provide the satisfactory after-sale service despite the necessary payments on items such as electronics, automobiles, etc.

Consumer International:
An international umbrella organization to over 240 member organizations from over 220 countries.

COPRA: This Act (COPRA) 1986 tries to ensure:

• information, safety, redressal, representation and consumer education.
• Under COPRA, a’ three tier quasi-judicial machinery at the district, state and national level helps in solving consumer disputes.
• Consumer Movement with its different organisations helps in exerting pressure on business firms as well as the government to correct their conduct which may be against the interests of the consumers at large.

Right to Information Act, 2005:
This act gives rights to the citizen to have information about the government departments, their policies practices and procedures.

ISI Mark:
A certification mark for industrial products in India developed by the Bureau of Indian Standards.

AGMARK:
A certification mark employed on agricultural products in India by the directorate of Marketing and Inspection.

Hallmark:
An official mark struck on items made of precious metals like gold silver platinum etc.

Duties of consumers while shopping are
A consumer must check for a certification of quality such as ISI mark, Agmark or Hallmark; Consumers must ensure that they receive a valid bill or cash memo and warranty on purchase of items especially electronic goods such as TV, laptop, mobile phones etc.; The consumer should not allow a salesman to force him/her to buy a particular brand; and a consumer should inform concerned authorities if a shopkeeper is selling defective goods.

Consumer Forum:
The consumer movement in India has led to the formation of various organizations locally known as consumer forums or consumer protection councils. They guide consumers on how to file cases in the consumer court. They represent consumers in the consumer courts. These voluntary organizations receive financial support from the government for creating awareness among the consumers.

Rights of Consumers :

Rights which are provided by law :
– Right to safety
– Right to be informed
– Right to choose
– Right to be heard
– Right to seek redressal
– Right to consumer education.

Factors causing exploitation of Consumers :

– Limited information
– Limited supplies
– Limited competition
– Low literacy

Duties of Consumers :

– To purchase quality marked products such as ISI, AGMARK etc.
– To ask for cash memo for the items purchased whenever possible.
– To make complaint for genuine grievances consumers must know their rights and must exercise them.

Demerits of Consumer Redressal Process :

– The Consumer Redressal Process is becoming cumbersome expensive and time consuming.
– Many a time, consumers are required to engage lawyers. These cases require time for filling and attending the court proceedings etc.
– In most purchases cash memos are not issued hence evidence is not easy together.
– Most purchases in the market are small retail sales.
– The enforcement of laws that protect workers, especially in the unorganised sectors is weak.
– Rules and regulations for working of markets are often not followed.

Consumer Protection Act – 1986 (COPRA)

– To protect and promote the interest of consumers.
– Under COPRA a three-tier quasi-judicial machinery at the district, state and national levels is set up for redressal of consumer disputes.
– The district level court deals with the cases involving claims upto Rs. 20 lakhs; The State level courts between Rs. 20 lakhs and Rs. 1 crore and the national level court deals with cases involving claims exceeding Rs. 1 crore.

Consumer is a person who buys and uses a good or service from the market after making a payment.

Consumer International: An international umbrella organization to over 240 members Organizations from over 220 countries.

COPRA: The consumer Protection Act enacted by the government of India on 24th December 1986.

Codex Alimentarius Commission: It was created in 1963 by food and agricultural organization.

Right to information act 2005: This act gives rights to the citizen to have information about the government departments, their policies practices and procedures.

MRP: It is the maximum retail price printed on packages goods. The seller cannot charge more than this price.

ISI Mark: a certification mark for industrial products in India developed by the Bureau of Indian Standards.

AGMARK: A certification mark employed on agricultural products in India by the directorate of Marketing and Inspection

Hallmark: An official mark struck on items made of precious metals like gold silver platinum etc.

Adulteration: Mixing unwanted substances in foods.

Consumer Forum: The consumer movement in India has led to the formation of various organizations locally known as consumer forums or consumer protection councils. They guide consumers on how to file cases in the consumer court.

Short Answer type Questions

Question. How to make a complaint to the District forum.
Answer.  - District courts deals with cases involving claims up to 20 lakhs
- No need for lawyers
- Application can be made on plain paper

Question. What are the certifications for Quality assurance?
Answer.  - lSI Mark
- AGMARK
- HALLMARK

Question. What is the difference between consumer protection council and consumer court?
Answer. - The consumer protection council promotes and protects the various rights of the consumer.
- The consumer court is made to hear the cases regarding a consumer complaint.
- Consumer protection council is an advisory body, while consumer court is a quasi­ judiciary body.

Question. Explain the three-tier quasi-judicial machinery to redress the grievances ofthe consumers?
Answer.

District courts – The district level court deals with cases involving claims up to Rs.20 lakh.
Redressal forums at State level – The state level court deals with cases between Rs. 20 lakh and Rs.1 crore
Redressal forums at National level – The national level court dealt with cases which involve claims exceeding Rs.1crore.

Question. How to make a com plaint to the District forum.
Answer. - District courts deals with cases involving claims up to 20 lakhs
- No need for lawyers
- Application can be made on plain paper.

Question. What are the reasons for the emergence of consumer movement in India?
Answer. - The dissatisfaction of the consumers regarding the market practices
- The gradual withdrawal of the government from production fields after the introduction of New Economic Policy.
- Increasing awareness of the people

Question. What are the different ways of exploitation of consumers in the market?
Answer. - Higher price
- Quality lapse
- Underweight & under measurement

Long Answer type Questions

Question. What is the need for standardization of products?
Answer. - Every producer is liable to be prosecuted if he does not print the sale price of an article on it
- For certain articles lSI mark is essential to ensure quality and originality.
- As far as food items are concerned it is essential to indicate weight on each packet Date of manufacture and date of expiry is a must on medicines
- Government departments like Food and Supply, Drug Control, Weight and Measure etc conduct raids from time to time so that consumers are not cheated.

Question. What are the ways by which consumers get exploited in the market?
Answer. - Higher price
- Quality lapse
- Underweight & under measurement
- False information and promises
- Poor after sale service
- Rude behaviour
- Inadequate safety measures
- Market malpractices such as adulteration black marketing, duplicate articles etc.

Question. What are the salient features of COPRA 1986?
Answer.
- It applies to all goods and services.
- It covers all the sections whether Private, Public or Cooperative.
- It offers various rights to the consumers.
- It establishes consumer protection councils at the central and state and district levels to promote and protect the right ofthe consumers.
- It provides separate three- tier quasi-judicial machinery at the national state and district levels. at the national level if is known as National Consumer Court (Commission) at the state level, it is known as State consumer court (commission)and at the District level ,it is called District forum.
- Provisions of the Act are compensatory in nature

Question. Critically examine the progress of consumer movement in India?
Answer. - Started out of frustration of consumers against the unfair practices by the sellers
- Food shortages
- Black-marketing
- Formation of consumers group and exerting pressure on business firms and governments to correct the business activities.
- Passing of the Consumer Protection Act in 1986

Question. What are the rights of the consumers?
Answer. - Right to be informed
- Right to choose
- Right to safety
- Right to seek redressal
- Right to represent
- Right to consumer education

Question. What factors gave birth to consumer movement in India.
Answer. - The dissatisfaction of the consumers regarding the market practices
- The gradual withdrawal of the government from production fields after the introduction of New Economic Policy.
- Increasing awareness ofthe people
- Increasing unfair trade practices
- Emergences of foreign companies

Question. What are the reasons for exploitation of consumers?
Answer. - Lack of awareness
- Lack of information about goods & markets
- Limited supplies and competitions.
- Lack of government support to consumers
- Lack of interest on the part of the consumers in responding
- Inadequacy of consumer movement

Question. What are the duties of the Consumer?
Answer. - Be alert about the price and quality of goods and setvices
- To assert and act to ensure that he gets a fair deal.
- To organize together to promote the interest of the consumers.
- To purchase quality marked goods such as lSI, AGMARK etc.
- To insist a cash memo after every purchase.
- To make complaints for genuine grievances