Q.Justify the following statement.
The aim of the consumer organization is to protect the rights of the consumer.

Consumer organisations are voluntary, non-profit associations set up to protect and promote consumer rights. Their aim truly is to protect consumers because they create awareness, help file complaints, expose adulteration and unfair trade practices, and represent consumers before the government — so the statement is justified.

A consumer organisation (also called a consumer association, consumer forum or NGO) is a voluntary, non-profit body formed by consumers or social workers to protect and promote the interests of consumers. In a market where a single consumer is weak against large sellers, such organisations give consumers a collective voice. Their basic aim is to protect the rights of consumers.

Justification — how consumer organisations aim to protect consumer rights

1. Consumer education and awareness — They inform consumers about their rights (right to safety, information, choice, to be heard, redressal and consumer education) and their responsibilities through booklets, magazines, seminars and campaigns.

2. Guiding and helping in redressal — They guide aggrieved consumers on how and where to file complaints and even file complaints in consumer courts on their behalf.

3. Testing products and publishing results — They get products tested in laboratories and publish the findings, warning consumers against sub-standard, adulterated or unsafe goods.

4. Fighting unfair trade practices — They take up cases of adulteration, overpricing, false weights, misleading advertisements and defective goods against sellers.

5. Representing consumers — They represent consumer interests before the government and various committees and press for consumer-friendly laws and policies.

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