Page 4 - Lesson Note 3

(ix) To cease manufacture of hazardous goods and to desist from offering hazardous services.

(x) To pay any amount (not less than 5% of the value of the defective goods or deficient
services provided), to be credited to the Consumer Welfare Fund or any other

organisation/person, to be utilised in the prescribed manner.
(xi) To issue corrective advertisement to neutralise the effect of a misleading advertisement.

(xii) To pay adequate costs to the appropriate party.
Brings out some decided cases where a complaint was filed in a consumer court for defective

goods and deficient services.

ROLE OF CONSUMER ORGANISATIONS AND NGOS

In India, several consumer organisations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have been

set up for the protection and promotion of consumers’ interests. Non- governmental

organisations are non- profit organisations which aim at promoting the welfare of people. They
have a constitution of their own and are free from government interference. Consumer

organisations and NGOs perform several functions for the protection and promotion of interest
of consumers. These include:

(i) Educating the general public about consumer rights by organising training programmes,

seminars and workshops.
(ii) Publishing periodicals and other publications to impart knowledge about consumer problems,

legal reporting, reliefs available and other matters of interest.
(iii) Carrying out comparative testing of consumer products in accredited laboratories to test

relative qualities of competing brands and publishing the test results for the benefit of

consumers.
(iv) Encouraging consumers to strongly protest and take an action against unscrupulous,

exploitative and unfair trade practices of sellers.

(v) Providing legal assistance to consumers by way of providing aid, legal advice etc. in seeking
legal remedy.

(vi) Filing complaints in appropriate consumer courts on behalf of the consumers.
(vii) Taking an initiative in filing cases in consumer courts in the interest of the general public,

not for any individual.