Explain any five factors which gave birth to consumer movement in india
Answers
1. With the necessity of protecting and promoting the interest of consumers against unethical and unfair trade practices, consumer movement originated in India.
2. Many type of illegal acts like of Rampant Food Shortages, hoarding, black marketing, adulteration etc. gave rise to the consumer movement.
3. Consumer organisations till 1970s keep writing the articles, and holding exhibitions.
Answer:
The factors that gave birth to the consumer movement in India are manifold. The consumer movement arose out of dissatisfaction of the consumers as many unfair practices were being indulged in by the sellers. It started as a "social force" with the need to protect and promote consumer interests against unfair and unethical trade practices. These unfair practices in the market cause heavy loss to the consumer, they suffer from monetary loss as well as it affects their health. Extreme food shortages, hoarding, black marketing and adulteration of food led to the consumer movement becoming an organised arena in the 1960s. Till the 1970s, consumer organisations were mostly busy writing articles in newspaper, magazine and holding exhibitions. More recently, there has been an upsurge in the number of consumer groups who have shown concern towards ration shop malpractices and overcrowding of public transport vehicles. India has witnessed an upsurge in the number of consumer groups and these have succeeded in bringing pressure on business firms as well as government to correct business conduct which may be unfair and against the interest of the consumers at large.In 1986, the Indian government enacted the Consumer Protection Act, also known as COPRA. This was a major step in the consumer movement in India.