Thy own physician

 

 

While New Delhi can set the agenda for effective regulation of markets at the national levels, these examples reveal the long distance that State governments and local bodies need to travel to ensure that regulation does not become a joke for hapless consumers. At every step, the Indian consumer is given a raw deal by companies, service providers, utilities, restaurants, real estate companies and myriad other businessmen. In an overwhelming majority of cases, they do have access to any grievance redressal system. Good governance means not only ensuring delivery of bijli, sadak and pani, it also means protecting consumers from sharks and sharp practices.

There is no dearth of laws to ostensibly protect Indian consumers from malpractice. The problem lies in implementing the laws in an efficient and transparent manner. Says a leading consumer activist Bejon Mishra, “In India, the best piece of legislation we have compared to other countries is the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act. Its loopholes have been plugged through amendments but, unfortunately, the State governments, which have to implement this Act, have till now shown a low level of sensitivity in doing so.”

There are two key things that can be done at the regional and the local level through regulation to protect consumer interests. The first thing that the State and local bodies can do is to launch high decibel awareness campaigns that can make consumers aware of their rights. The second is to go for a massive increase in the number of consumer courts at the district and State level so that aggrieved consumers can get their complaints addressed in a timely manner.

However, for regulation to work most effectively at the local level, it is the Indian citizen who has to depend less on the State and work more proactively to protect consumer interests. In developed countries, more than State-controlled bodies, it is consumer activism groups that have played a key role in championing consumer interests. India too does have its share of activist consumer bodies. It needs many more.