Today is World Consumer Rights Day is commended each year on March 15. people utilize the word ‘customer’ so regularly yet do they know ‘who is a consumer’ and ‘what are his/her rights and duties’. A consumer is an individual or a body who purchases or needs to buy goods, products and services essentially for individual, household or social use.
On World Consumer Rights Day, let us realize how the day began, what are the activities, the theme and steps the Consumer Affairs Ministry has taken for creating awareness among the grahak or consumer, both as terms of rights and duties. The campaign, ‘Jago Grahak Jago’ means ‘wake up consumer, be aware’. It is a customer awareness programme that was begun by the Department of Consumer Affairs, to create consumer awareness through adverts, audio-visual campaigns and consumer education.
Theme of World Consumer Rights Day 2021
This year the theme of World Consumer Rights Day is “Tackling Plastic Pollution“. The point is to promote sustainable practises for clean environmental factors and respectings privileges of consumers or the grakak. The Consumer Rights service is now running a ‘Jago Grahak Jago’ campaign. “The campaign will raise awareness and engage consumers to globally adopt more sustainable practises…,” tweeted the Consumer Affairs Ministry.
History of World Consumer Rights Day
The World Consumer Rights Day was inspired by former President of United States John F Kennedy. He had sent an special message to the US Congress on 15th March 1962, in which he formally addressed to the issue of consumer rights. He was the first world leader to do as such. The consumer movement first marked that date in 1983 and now utilizes the day consistently to prepare activity on significant consumers’ issues and campaigns.
importance of World Consumer Rights Day
The yearly event is dedicated to highlighting the power of the consumers, their privileges to guarantee a protected and practical commercial center for all. Tackle Plastic Pollution is the theme for World Consumer Rights Day 2021.
The new report by The Pew Charitable Trusts and SYSTEMIQ, which was released in August 2020, estimated that if the significant innovations changes are not implied to tackle the plastic pollution, at that point by 2040, the progression of plastic materials into the sea will triple, which would then offer ascent to another variety of issues for the people just as for the marine life. That is the reason, the day is focusing in on highlighting, addressing, and tackling plastic pollution in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has added the ascent of single-use plastics like face masks, gloves, and food packaging.
‘Jago Grahak Jago’ Campaign
On Jago Grahak Jago’ campaign, Raosaheb Patil Danve, the Minister of State for Consumer Affairs tweeted: “This World Consumer Rights Day, let us take a pledge to stop buying plastic based goods to tackle plastic pollution.”
‘Jago Grahak Jago’: Know the basic rights of consumers
- “The right to be protected from all kind of hazardous goods and services”
- “The right to be fully informed about the performance and quality of all goods and services”
- “The right to free choice of goods and services”
- “The right to be heard in all decision-making processes related to consumer interests”
- “The right to seek redressal, whenever consumer rights have been infringed”
- “The right to complete consumer education”
