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.