Question

how does the government make consumers conscious about their rights??​

Answer 1

Explanation:

Changing Indian consumer in a globalised era

When India opened its economy to the global marketplace in the early 1990s, many multinational corporations rushed in to pursue its middle-class consumers—an estimated 200 million people—only to confront low incomes, social and political conservatism, and resistance to change. It turned out that the Indian consumer was a tough one to figure out and win over.

Globalisation and liberalisation of trade and business has resulted in many products and services being available to the consumers. Growth in economy has resulted in increase in the purchasing power of the middle class, which is the largest segment of the population. This has necessitated the protection of the consumers and promotion of responsible consumer movement in the country.

Customer is king; protect the king

Several laws have been passed by the Indian government to protect consumers and uphold their rights—like the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954, The Essential Commodities Act, 1955, Bureau of Standards Act, 1986, among others. The most important one, however, is the Consumer Protection Act 1986, which is set to undergo a major revamp. The new Consumer Protection Bill, 2018, was introduced by Ram Vilas Paswan, Union minister for consumer affairs and food and public distribution, in the Lok Sabha on January 5.

Talking about the new bill, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “Consumer protection was in line with the government’s resolve of building a new India. New consumer protection act was in the making which would lay out stricter guidelines on advertisements, to ensure people are not misled. Stringent provisions have been proposed against misleading advertisements. A Central Consumer Protection Authority with executive powers will be constituted for quick remedial action. The government prioritising consumer protection is in line with our resolve of a new India. We will change it to consumer prosperity on the way ahead."