Explain the role of consumer organisations and NGOs in protecting and promoting consumers’ interests.

Question

Philoid · Accepted Answer

Consumer Organisations and NGOs perform several functions to protect and promote consumer interests. These include:

1. Educating the general public about consumer rights by organising workshops, seminars and other training programmes.

2. Publishing periodicals and other publications to impart knowledge about consumer problems, legal reporting, reliefs available and other matters of interest.

3. Carrying out comparative testing of consumer products in accredited laboratories to test relative qualities of competing brands and publishing the same for consumer benefit.

4. Encouraging consumers to protest and take legal action against exploitative, unscrupulous and unfair trade practices of business organisations.

5. Providing assistance to consumer seeking legal remedy.

6. Filing complaints in appropriate consumer courts on behalf of the consumer.

7. Taking an initiative in filing cases in consumer forums in the interest of general public.