SHARJAH INDIAN SCHOOL
JUWAIZA (2024-2025)
Social Studies Project
CONSUMER
AWARENESS
By Naithel Praveen Of 10H
19
INTRODUCTION
We will be learning about the
topic on consumer awareness.
CONTENTS
1)Who is a consumer?
5) Duties of Consumers.
6) How Consumers are exploited?
7) Consumer Movement.
8) Consumer Movement in India.
9) Rights of Consumers.
10) Why Consumer Education is Important?
11) Where should Consumers go to get Justice?
WHO IS A
CONSUMER?
A consumer is a person or a group who
intends to order, or use purchased goods,
products, or services primarily for
personal, social, family, household and
similar needs, who is not directly related
to entrepreneurial or business activities.
The term most commonly refers to a
person who purchases goods and services
for personal use.
DUTIES OF A
CONSUMER
A consumer should keep in mind the following
responsibilities while purchasing, using and
consuming goods and services —
(i) Be aware about various goods and
services available in the market so that an
intelligent and wise choice can be made.
(ii) Buy only standardised goods as they
provide quality assurance. Thus, look for
ISI mark on electrical goods, FPO mark on
food products, Hallmark on jewelry, etc.
(iii) Learn about the risks associated with
products and services, follow
manufacturer’s instructions and use the
products safely etc.
How Consumers
are exploited?
Some of the ways are given below:
Additional charges on goods imposed by
traders that were not mentioned earlier.
Traders selling adulterated or defective
goods.
Traders use faulty weights to cheat the
customers.
Consumer Movement
in India.
Consumer movement, in its present form in
India, came into being only in the 1960's with
the formation of Consumer Guidance Society of
India in 1966 in Bombay. With its success, the
consumer movement spread over to fight for
availability, purity and standard prices of
commodities.
Consumer Movement
The consumer movement is an effort to promote
consumer protection through an organized social
movement, which is in many places led by consumer
organizations. It advocates for the rights of
consumers, especially when those rights are
actively breached by the actions of corporations,
governments, and other organizations that provide
products and services to consumers. Consumer
movements also commonly advocate for increased
health and safety standards, honest information
about products in advertising, and consumer
representation in political bodies.
Rights of Consumers
1. Right to Safety: The consumer has a right to be
protected against goods and services which are
hazardous to life, health and property.
2. Right to be informed: The consumer has a right to
have complete information about the product he
intends to buy including its ingredients, date of
manufacture, price, quantity, directions for use, etc.
3. Right to be assured: The consumer has the freedom
to access variety of products at competitive prices.
This implies that the marketers should offer a wide
variety of products in terms of quality, brand, prices,
size, etc. and allow the consumer to make a choice
from amongst these.
Why Consumer Education
is Important?
Consumer education provides consumers
with information and resources that
inform them about various aspects, such
as:
trade practices
quality standards
pricing of various products.
Where should Consumers
go to get Justice?
Consumers have the complete right to demand
justice in case of any exploitation. Any kind of
unfair practices on a commercial level which is
harmful to the consumers can be questioned.
India is witness to the creation of many
forums as a result of consumer protests. How
the consumer can get justice have been given
below:
District Consumer Disputes Redressal
Commission: Handles claims up to Rs 1 crore.
State Commission: Handles claims from Rs 1
crore to Rs 10 crore.
National Commission: Handles claims exceeding
Rs 10 crore.
If a case is rejected at the district level, it can be
appealed to the State Commission and then to the
National Commission.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, consumer awareness is essential
for empowering individuals to make informed
decisions and safeguard their rights. By
staying informed about their rights,
understanding the avenues for redressal, and
actively engaging with consumer protection
mechanisms, individuals can effectively
challenge unfair practices and advocate for
justice. As consumers become more
knowledgeable and proactive, they contribute
to a fairer marketplace and help drive
positive changes in business practices,
ultimately leading to a more equitable and
transparent economy.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
source:
https://ncert.nic.in/textbook/pdf/leb
s203.pdf
