AGAIN IT HAPPENED TO GUDIA IN DELHI, WHERE IS THE SOLUTION

Once again protests are going on in Delhi demanding justice for crime against minor. Strict law is there, police machinery is there.Where is the solution, can addition of death penalty in the law is the solution. I do not think so. Was this matter is taken seriously by the police or the government unless protests started. Therefore where is the solution in the law or accountability. Has the police or government acted in time, perhaps the girl could have been rescued unhurt. Off course strong law is required, but is not the final solution for such social crimes.

Today crises is not of law, it is of accountability. If we want solution, we have to make both society and police accountable.Take the incident of Jaipur, how society acted. One can easily say that may be because, society feels that if they come forward, police will entangle them in the matter. This is where we need amendments in the law and its implementation procedures.How an important part of the system Police and Government can be so much insensitive that it waited for 3 days to act unless protests started. It is time for action, not of theoretical solutions. And action comes from accountability. Mere suspension of police officers that too with the fear of strong protests can not justify it. In case police felt that they are accountable perhaps this brutality may not have happened and Gudia could have been saved. 

It is time a debate should be started, not for change of law, but how Government, Police and Society can be made accountable for the crime taking place around. It is time for ACTION not of THEORETICAL SOLUTIONS.  

CONSUMER MOVEMENT - BEYOND SALE & PURCHASE

Unfortunate part of the consumer movement in the world is that it is viewed as tool to provide  commodities and services to the consumers in good condition. He is equipped with a mechanism of getting justice in case he feels exploited, to sort out his grievances.

Unlike other countries of the world. We have a legislation in India. It provides cheap and speedy justice to the consumers through a special quasi judicial system.If consumer feels that he is not provided, what he is promised for a price he has paid. And the seller fails to give any solution to his grievances. He can approach consumer judicial system for sorting out his grievances. Consumer movement of the world is restricted to this approach only.

But to restrict consumer movement to this is not fair for consumer interests. We can stop consumer exploitation with this limited approach.Consumer is  the nuclea of the economic world. For healthy economy healthy consumer is the basic requirement. He has to play an important role for healthy economic built up. Unfortunately he is pushed on the fence and in the name of consumer movement only shallow activities are in existence. 

We want to build healthy market and healthy economy, It can not be achieved without consumer participation. Consumer should be given representation in Production, distribution, quality certification and price fixation of goods and services. Economy of a nation is based on the money collected from the consumers in the form of various taxes.Whenever consumer purchases any thing , he pays tax in one or other form. And tax collected so is spent by the government for various schemes of consumer welfare. In other word we can say Financial Budget of the government comes out of it.  How unfortunate it is that consumer is never asked for his priorities, coming out of the money he has paid. Consumer movement should be aimed to it. We know it is very difficult task, almost impossible to achieve. But to make it possible let us start by reminding every consumer that what ever he is seeing or getting around, has come out of the money he has paid while making any purchase in the market. And that he has every right to ask for the money spent. This should be the starting point.No doubt, We are going to get exploitation free environment.

'MRP' - TOOL FOR CONSUMER EXPLOITATION!

• Maximum Retail Price (MRP) is a tool used to extort exorbitant money from consumers. Government in conspiracy with the trading community implemented it to give impression to the consumers that their interests are taken care off, where as it is totally false.

• Consumers are under the impression that MRP printed on the products is controlled by the Government. Truth is that manufacturers are free to print any amount in the name of MRP. There are no guidelines or formula given by the government, which can restrict trading community to print the relevant MRP.

• How consumer interests can be protected in absence of a government guide line - by calculating how much profit one can add in their Production Cost, for writing MRP. In absence of any such mechanism, Trading community is making the consumer's to cough out more money and exploiting them by projecting that MRP is the price fixed by the Government.