Request a call back

Join NOW to get access to exclusive study material for best results

Class 10 NCERT Solutions Economics Chapter 5 - Consumer Rights

Consumer Rights Exercise 87

Solution 1

Rules and regulations are required to safeguard the interest and rights of consumers in the market and to provide them speedy redressal of their grievances. For example, a person purchases a television set from a shop and it turns out to be defective. The consumer takes the television set to the shopkeeper for repairing. The shopkeeper renders sales service by charging Rs 500 as a service charge even though  it was  repaired during  the warranty period. Thus, the rules and regulations are required to protect consumers mainly because of their  helpless position and the unfair business practices. 

Solution 2

In India, consumer movement emerged because of  social reasons. It was felt that it is necessary to protect the interests of the consumers against the unfair practices of the traders. Rampant food shortages, hoarding, black marketing and adulteration of food and edible oil  gave birth to a growing dissatisfaction among the consumers. This led to the  consumer movement during 1960s. Consumers started voicing their concerns for better products and services.

The consumer organisations till mid-1970s were largely engaged in writing articles and holding exhibitions to arouse consciousness among the consumers. There has been an upsurge in the number of consumer groups since 1980s. Currently there are about 700 consumer organisations in India working in the field of consumer protection. Greater awareness among the consumers about their rights also led to a gradual transition from a predominantly ‘sellers’ market to a ‘buyers’ market.

The spread of consumer movement in India has been influenced by the Government of India in favour of consumer protection. They enacted the Consumer Protection Act in 1986 to safeguard the interests of the consumers.

Solution 3

Consumer’s consciousness towards their rights and duties in India is very important in the following cases:

i. To improve the market conditions which provide consumers with more choices at a lower price.

ii. To reduce the incidences of consumer exploitation by the sellers in the market place.

Solution 4

Factors which cause exploitation of the consumers are

  1. Illiteracy and ignorance of the consumers: Many consumers are illiterate and ignorant about their rights as consumers. It is particularly true for the consumers of rural areas.  
  2. Lack of proper documentation: Many consumers do not take proper cash memo from the shopkeeper. As a result, if the product turns out to be defective, it becomes extremely difficult to either replace the product or to claim the money.
  3. Unorganised consumers: In India, the consumers are widely dispersed and are not united or organised. Hence, the consumers are easily exploited by the traders who are economically more powerful and organised in nature.
  4. Deceptive advertising: Some traders provide misleading information about the quality, safety and utility of their products through attractive advertisements. The consumers are misled by these advertisements.
  5. Poor governance: The government authorities often fail to take proper steps to raise consumer awareness. It has to take measures to educate the rural people about their rights as consumers. 

Solution 5

The rationale behind the enactment of Consumer Protection Act 1986 was to safeguard the interests of the consumers against their exploitation and to grant them the right to seek redressal against the unethical and unfair trade practices.

Solution 6

While visiting the shopping complexes , our duties as consumers are as follows:

  1. To check the expiry date of a product which  we intend to purchase
  2. To keep ourselves informed about the product which we are purchasing
  3. To check the ingredients which are used in the product
  4. To purchase the commodity at maximum retail price (MRP)
  5. To check whether the shopkeeper is weighing the products correctly
  6. To look for the standard quality certification marks such as ISI, Agmark, FPO, Eco-mark and Hallmark  while making the purchases

Solution 7

On a bottle of honey and on a packet of biscuit, we will have to look for  the ‘Agmark’ and ‘ISI’ mark respectively. This is because these are the certification marks which tell us that the product has been checked and it meets the required mandatory standards.

Solution 8

Legal measures taken by the government to empower the consumers in India are

  1. Business self-regulation: The business community itself can help in achieving consumer protection through self-disciplines. Business group can regulate their own behaviour and actions by adopting higher ethical standards. The trade associations such as Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) and the Chambers of Commerce such as Indian Chambers of Commerce and Bengal Chambers of Commerce  can check on unfair trade practices followed by business group.
  2. Consumer self-help: Every consumer must be very much alert while purchasing any goods and services. Because  self-help is supposed to be the best help, the consumer should educate herself/himself about the rights and duties as a consumer.
  3. Consumer’s association: Consumers should also form voluntary associations to protect their interests. These associations can educate and awaken the consumers about their rights and responsibilities.
  4. Government regulations: The state can ensure consumer protection through legislative, executive and judicial actions. The laws enacted by the government must be strictly enforced by the executive. Several laws were enacted from time to time to protect the interests of the consumers.  

 

Solution 9

Some of the rights that consumers have are

  1. Right to choose: The consumers have the right to choose the product of his/her choice from varieties of products which are available in the market. He/she also has the right to choose whether to continue receiving services on products or not.
  2. Right to information: The consumer has the right to be informed about various features of the products which they purchase such as the ingredients used, batch number, date of manufacture and expiry and the way the product has to be used.
  3. Right to seek redressal: The consumers have the right to complain against the unfair trade practices and receive compensation depending on the degree of damage.
  4. Right to represent: The COPRA has enabled the consumers to file cases against the manufacturers or sellers if their product is found  defective. These associations can educate and awaken the consumers about their rights and responsibilities.

Solution 10

Consumers can express their solidarity by organising themselves into groups to fight against the exploitative trade policies. These groups can help people in registering cases against the market fraud and even represent them in consumer courts. Writing articles in the newspapers and magazines in order to create consumer awareness and supporting various issues related to the protection of consumer rights is  another way of supporting the consumer movements.

Solution 11

Though the consumer movement in India has made some progress, many goals are still remains  unachieved. The consumer redressal process is expensive and time consuming. Hiring  lawyers and filing cases in the court requires a lot of money. Many illiterate and poor people do not file cases because of the necessity to attend court or many a times they do not have the required money and time to do so.

In India, many times, shopkeepers do not give proper bill of the purchased commodity, and hence filing a case against these sellers becomes very difficult. Apart from these, the rules and regulations which regulate the working of the markets are often not followed. Consumers need to be more active and involved in movements against the exploitative trade and market policies.

Solution 12

(i)

Availing details of ingredients of a product

(e)

Right to information

(ii)

Agmark

(c)

Certification of edible oil and cereals

(iii)

Accident due to faulty engine in a scooter

(a)

Right to safety

(iv)

District Consumer Court

(b)

Dealing with consumer cases

(v)

Consumers International

(f)

Global level institution of consumer welfare organisations

(vi)

Bureau of Indian Standards

(d)

Agency that develops standards for goods and services

Consumer Rights Exercise 88

Solution 13

(i) False

(ii) True

(iii) True

(iv) True

(v) True

(vi) False

(vii) True

Get Latest Study Material for Academic year 24-25 Click here
×