The Consumer Protection Act, 1986 The Act enshrines all the consumers' rights which are internationally

accepted. As per the Act, the consumer protection councils have been established at Central, State and Dis trict levels to promote and protect the consumer rights. They are: Right to Safety: To be protected against the sale of goods and services whic h are spurious/hazardous for the life. Right to Information: To know the quality, quantity, weight and the price of goods/services being paid for, so that one is not cheated by unfair trade practices. Right to Choose: To be assured, wherever possible, access to a variety of go ods and services at competitive prices. Right to be Heard: To be heard and to be assured that the interest would rec eive due consideration at appropriate fora. Right to Seek Redressal: To seek legal redressal against unfair or restricti ve trade practices or exploitation. Right to Consumer Education: To have access to consumer education. At present there are 35 State Commissions, one in each State/UT and 571 district forum besides the National Commission. The state governments are responsible to set up the distri ct forum and the State Commissions. States have been empowered to establish additional District Forum and also additional members in the State Commission to facilitate constituting benches and also for holding circuit benches. The Central Government is required to set up the National Commission. It has be en empowered to appoint additional members to facilitate creation of more benches and holding of circuit benches. The second bench of the National Commission started functioning from 24 September 2003. The gover nment is monitoring the disposal of cases by the consumer courts through National Commission. Since its inception and up to March 2004, 32,910 cases were filed out of which 24,974 cases disposed of in the Nati onal Commission. Similarly 3,01,485 cases were filed and 1,97,797 cases disposed of in the State Commission s and 18,86,236 cases were filed and 16,46,698 cases disposed of in the district forum. Overall 18,69,469 cases have been disposed of out of 22,20,631 cases filed with a remarkable disposal rate of 84.2 per cent. The government has declared 24 December as 'National Consumer Day', since the Pr esident gave his assent on that day to the enactment of the historic Consumer Protection Act, 198 6. Besides this, 15 March is observed as 'World Consumer Rights Day' every year.

Consumer Protection in Medieval India Consumer protection was of paramount importance in the medieval period in India ranging from 1000 AD to 1750 AD. Several prominent Muslim rulers had ruled India during this period from their capital in Delhi. The Delhi Sultanate, being the start of such a long period of Islamic rule in India, laid the foundation to the economic, financial and commercial backbone of the I ndian medieval period. The most notable achievements in Consumer Protection during the Delhi Sultanate were during the period of Alauddin Khilji (1296 AD to 1316 AD). Alauddin Khilji was the second ruler o f the Khilji dynasty. During his reign, there were unprecedented improvements in the weights and meas ures standardization process bringing about dramatic changes in the transparency practices of trader s with consumers. Commodities were weighed and measured through standards established by the Sult an and people who did not follow standards were punished through fines and even capital punishment . The Sultan had judges who were omnipotent in enforcing the rights of the consumers and approach ing the courts when injustice occurred was simple and without bureaucracy. Several generations of rulers following the Khilji did not contribute much to th e consumer protection cause until Sher Shah Suri who ruled during the brief period between 1540 and 1 545 AD. Sher Shah Suri was a visionary in matters related to commerce. He envisioned that an econ omy is always dependant on how well its consumers are treated. He emphasized on standardized measures a nd set forth decimal and centenary systems with respect to measures. He also published quality guide lines especially for produce, grocery, confectionaries and pharmaceuticals. The financial system he introduced along with the currency Rupiyah forms the foundation of the monetary system of modern Indi a. Although his reign was brief, he is thought to be one of the most important medieval ruler who has influenced consumer protection policies of modern India. During the reign of Akbar (1556-1605), the third Mughal Emperor of India, severa l significant achievements were made in matters related to consumer protection. The right of t he consumer to be informed perhaps found its earliest roots during the period. All traders w ere required to publish details regarding the quality and quantity of their merchandise inclu ding weights, measures, adulteration if any, age, grade, and usability. This law was strictly enforced through prefects and secret service personnel employed by the emperor. Violations and de ceitful behavior were dealt with the harshest of punishments including amputation of limbs. Cons umers also enjoyed the right to return merchandise which did not meet the standard requirements rel ated to quality and

quantity. Akbar s contribution is notable in that his rule improved accountability and transparency in commodity transactions which were perhaps non-existent in the medieval days in India. Although the Mughal kings that came afterwards did continue the achievements lai d by their forefather, they concentrated more on literary, architectural and military pursuits. Eventua lly by the time the British gained control over the whole Indian peninsula, consumer issues had det eriorated into a stage that needed a rigorous revival. Nevertheless, the awareness, vision and persever ance through which the medieval rulers of India preserved the importance of consumer protection issues has been a source of fascination for international historians and economists.

Consumer:- Someone who purchases a good for personal use. .Awareness:-having knowledge of ; state of elementary or undifferentiated consci ousness Introduction THE PROCESS of development along with the expanding globalisation and liberalisa tion process has increased the number of consumer related issues. Consumer protection has ear ned an important place in the political, economic and social agendas of many nations. In India, the Government has taken many steps including legislative, to protect consumers. Education is a life long process of constantly acquiring relevant information, k nowledge and skills. Consumer education is an important part of this process and is a basic consumer right that must be introduced at the school level. Consumers by definition include all citizens who are, by and large the biggest group, who are affected by almost all government, public or private decisions. The most important step in consumer education is awareness of consumer rights. However, consumer education is incomplete without the responsibilities and duties of consumers, and this in fluences individual behaviour to a great extent. Definition Consumer awareness is making the consumer aware of His/Her rights. Consumer awareness it a marketing term. It means that consumers note or are awar e of products or services, its characteristics and the other marketing P's (place to buy, price, and promotion). Usually commercials and ads increase consumer awareness, as well as "word of mou

th" (a comment from someone you know about a product or service). Need of Consumer Awareness 1) It has been observed that the people for,whom various schemes have been taken up by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), in fact, do not get benefit as expected. This is mainly because they are not fully aware of these schemes and their benefits. Also, only knowledgeable and alert consumers aware of their rights and responsib lities can protect themselves effectively. The need of the hour is, therefore, to educate the comm on consumers particularly those in rural areas who are more susceptible to exploitation. Once they are ed ucated and made aware of the schemes that have been drawn up for their benefit and also the redressal for um that is available, the benefit of various schemes, in true sense, will reach the common consumers o f the country. It is, therefore, our bounden duty to play our part jointly and effectively in d isseminating various schemes to the common consumers of the country. In this regard, the rol e of the voluntary consumer organizations, consumer activists, non-governmental organizations, edu cational institutions and media cannot be ignored. 2) Making existing and potential customers knowledgeable about products/services , consumer awareness programs create more informed buying decisions. Consumers cannot purchase produ cts and services if they do not know they exist. A lack of consumer awareness in any industry can ha rm sales. If specific products and services are better known, those products and services will remain on the front line in sales. Therefore, it is important to implement consumer awareness programs that will introduce and make the target audience aware of the products and services a company offers. Consume r awareness programs can be initiated through the utilization of flyers, brochures, television, radio , guides, fact sheets, information posted to a Web site, school programs, and other sources depending upon the topic and the message delivered. 3) we need it so we will not be misled by producers,it explains if what we buy i s worth to our money.. and not harmful to us and to environment . Many people are ignorant of their rights to get protected against the exploitati on by so many others. So when there is a forum for such redress of grievances there seems to be no su ch exploitation by many; and becomes a rare one. So in order to get a clear picture of the level of expl oitation of consumers, the awareness is required.

consumer protection laws n. almost all states and the federal government have en acted laws and set up agencies to protect the consumer (the retail purchasers of goods and services) from inferior, adulterated, hazardous and deceptively advertised products, and decep tive or fraudulent sales practices. Federal statutes and regulations govern mail fraud, wholesome p oultry and meat, misbranding and adulteration of food and cosmetics, truth in lending, false adve rtising, the soundness of banks, securities sales, standards of housing materials, flamma ble fabrics, and various business practices. The Magnuson-Moss Act (1973) sets minimum stand ards for product warranties, providing standards for warranties and making a company that finance d the sale responsible for product defects, and creates liability (financial responsibility) for "impl ied" warranties (when the circumstances show that a warranty of lack of defects was intended) as well as express (specific) warranties. Mail fraud may include fake contests, "low-ball" price t raps (bait and switch), supposed credit for referrals of your friends, phoney home improvement loans wit h huge final payments, and swamp land sales. Some states' laws regulate and give some protection again st high-pressure door-to-door sales, false labeling, unsolicited merchandise, abusive collection practices, misleading advertising, and referral and promotional sales. (If a deal sounds too good to b e true, it probably is.) Almost all states have agencies set up to actively protect the consumer