Bharatiya Grahak Diwas 2021: Customer is the king. The market revolves around this principle. No one is more powerful than a consumer who is aware of their rights. In India, keeping the integrity of consumers in mind, they are conferred with a set of rights to protect them from prevalent malpractices. December 24 is observed as the National Consumer Day or Bharatiya Grahak Diwas. This year’s theme of National Consumer Day is “Tackling Plastic Pollution”.
Bharatiya Grahak Diwas: History
India was plagued by exploitations of consumers. The problems were further aggravated by inflation and poor technology. To solve these problems, the Consumer Protection Bill was passed in 1986. December 24 was marked as the National Consumer Day under the Consumer Protection Act, 1986. Since then, December 24 has been observed as the National Consumer Day.
Changes were made in the Consumer Protection Act in 1991 and 1993. It was followed by another amendment to make it more effective in December 2002. It came into effect on March 15, 2003.
However, over the years there has been a significant change in India’s economy which can be gauged from the changes in the shopping habits of people. Now, people have countless options for shopping. This called for the refurbished version of the Consumer Protection Act. The overhauled Consumer Protection Bill, 2019 was passed by the Indian Parliament in August that year.
Bharatiya Grahak Diwas: Significance
Consumers are provided protection against unfair trade practices like hoarding, fake advertisements, false gift offers and many others. Via an effective complaint redressal forum, this act assures that there is an efficient settlement of consumer disputes. Consumers have been now empowered to a great extent. It has also brought changes in the process by which consumer complaints are dealt with.
National Consumer Day and World Consumer Rights Day
There is a confusion between National Consumer Day and World Consumer Rights Day. Both the days have similar motives but they are celebrated on two different dates. World Consumer Rights Day is celebrated on March 15 and National Consumer Day is observed on December 24.
