Consumer Organizations Are Advocacy Groups That Seek to Protect People From Corporate Abuse Like Unsafe Products

8/3/2019 Consumer Organizations Are Advocacy Groups That Seek to Protect People From Corporate Abuse Like Unsafe Products

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Consumer Organizations in India 1

Consumer organizations are

advocacy groups that seek to protectpeople from corporate abuse like unsafe

products, predatory lending, falseadvertising, astroturfing and pollution.

Consumer organizations may operate via

protests, campaigning or lobbying. Theymay engage in single-issue advocacy (e.g.,

the British Campaign for Real Ale

(CAMRA), which campaigned against kegbeer and for cask ale) or they may set

themselves up as more general consumerwatchdogs, such as the Consumers'

Association in the UK.

One common means of providing

consumers useful information is theindependent comparative survey or test

of products or services, involving

different manufacturers or companies(e.g., Which?, Consumer Reports, etcetera).

Another arena where consumer organiz-ations have operated is food safety. Theneeds for campaigning in this area are

less easy to reconcile with their

traditional methods, since the scientific,dietary or medical evidence is normally

more complex than in other arenas, suchas the electric safety of white goods. The

current standards on mandatory labeling,

in developed countries, have in part beenshaped by past lobbying by consumer

groups.

The aim of consumer organizations maybe to establish and to attempt to enforce

consumer rights. Effective work has also

been done, however, simply by using the

threat of bad publicity to keep companies'

focus on the consumers' point of view.

Consumer organizations may attempt toserve consumer interests by relatively

direct actions such as creating and/ordisseminating market information, and

prohibiting specific acts or practices, or

by promoting competitive forces in themarkets which directly or indirectly affect

consumers (such as transport, electricity,

communications, etc.).

MAJOR CONSUMERORGANISATIONSIN

INDIAARE:

1. Voluntary Organization in the Interestsof Consumer Education (VOICE),

[email protected]

2. Consumer Guidance Society ofIndia(CGSI)www.cgsiindia.org.

3. Consumer Education & ResearchCentre (CERC) www.cercindia.org.

4. Consumer Unity & TrustSociety (CUTS)www.cuts-internatio-nal.org.

5. Consumer Coordination Council (CCC)www.cccindia.net.

6. Citizen Consumer & Civic Action Group(CAG),[email protected]

7. Mumbai Grahak Panchayat(MGP),

Other NGOs are:

1. [email protected] 2. Public Affairs Centre (PAC),

E-mail:[email protected]

3. Centre for Budget & Policy Studies,


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E mail:[email protected]

Voluntary Organization in the Interests of Consumer

Education (VOICE),

VOICE- Voluntary Organization In Interest

of Consumer Education-is a voluntary

action group, whose objective is to

protect and further the interests of the

consumer. The Group aims at not only

making the consumer conscious of the

malpractices perpetuated in the

marketplace, but also at creating an

awareness that organized efforts can

overcome the helplessness of the

individual consumer. It works towards

informing the consumer of his/her rights,

and motivating him/her to demand value

for money. The organization was founded

by teachers and students at the University

of Delhi in the beginning of the academic

year 1983-84. Till mid 1986. VOICE

functioned as an unregistered voluntary

consumer association. On 28 June 1986, itwas registered as a Public Charitable

Trust with noted jurist, Justice [retd.] V.M.

Tarkunde and Prof. P.K. Ghosh of the

Delhi School of Economics as founder

donors and Dr. Sri Ram Khanna and Mr

Rain Karanjawala as Trustees.

To apprise the consumer of his rights and

motivate him/her regular columnsauthored by VOICE Team are published in

newspapers and magazines like News

time [Hyderabad] Dainik Bhaskar, Amar

Ujala, Punjab Kesari, Indian Express,

Hindu, Sunday mail, Chauthi Duniya, The

Sentinal, Adworld, and University Today.

This ensures exposure on a national

plane.

While serving on several official

committees, VOICE has articulated

consumer interest and continues to do so,

as member of the Central Committee on

Food Standards, Consumer Protection

council [Delhi]. Electronics Test Lab

advisory Committee, Committee on Urban

Waste management, and the Committee

on the Issue of Fluoride in Toothpaste and

MSG in Foods. Representatives ofVOICE

have also participated in TV presentations

and AIR Programmes on Consumer

protection and misleading advertising,

thus reaching wide cross-section of

people.

VOICE has been pursuing a large numberof cases at MRTP Commission, before law

courts and Consumer Disputes Redressal

Forum. Its case against TV manufacturers

before the MRTP commission has resulted

in the prosecution of 44 leading TV

companies for overcharging the

consumers. VOICE has fought court cases

inviting corporate giants like Bata and ITC

to protest against competitions [Bubble-gummers contest/Made for each other

ads] designed to lure children and adults

respectively. Throught court cases, VOICE

has compelled soft-drink companies to

state in every ad that their drinks are

`artificially flavoured` and `contain no


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fruit juice or fruit pulp`. It won its case in

the Supreme Court against out-of turn

allotment of cars to VIPs by Maruti Udyog

Ltd.

VOICE also renders free legal advice andguidance to its Consumer Associates to

enable them fights their own cases in

courts.

VOICE members have been participating

in seminars, symposia and conferences

organised by Government Departments

and FICCI as well as sister consumer-

groups/associations like consumer

Education and Research Council [CERC],

Ahmedabad. Besides, VOICE on its own

and in collaboration with other consumer

bodies has organised a number of

seminars/and workshops to educate the

consumer and involve him/her directly in

the consumer movement.


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Consumer Guidance Society of India (CGSI)

BEGININGS

SINCE INDEPENDENCE, India has been

striving to develop and strengthen its

industrial base. In this pursuit of "self-sufficiency", however, the consumer has

been made to endure sub-standard

products and services: adulterated foods,short weights and measure, spurious and

hazardous drugs, exorbitant prices,endemic shortages leading to black

marketing and profiteering, unfulfilledmanufacture guarantees,and a host foother ills. In one infamous case, forty

persons were struck with dropsy and

glaucoma after consuming groundnut oiladulterated with toxic argimon oil. The

culprits were never brought to justice.This outrage energised nine ladies to

organize a movement to fight for

consumer rights. They formed theConsumer Guidance Society of India

(CGSI) to resist consumer exploitation ofall forms.

HIGHLIGHTS

Following are some of the landmarks

achieved by CGSI:

1. CGSI is the earliest consumer

organisation in India, founded in

1966.

2. CGSI was the first to demand aConsumer Protection Act with

Consumer Course to implement it.

This becomes a reality in 1986.

3. To date, 70% of the thousands of

complaints referred to CGSI have

been redressed.

4. CGSI established formal Product

Testing in India.

5. CGSI was the first to publish a

monthly magazine "Keemat" carry-

ing information of importance toconsumer.

6. CGSI promotes consumer educ-ation; initiates training projects in

rural areas; Promotes publicity

drives; represents consumerinterests with Government and

other bodies.

7. CGSI received the National Award

for consumer Protection in 1991.

8. CGSI is the only Indian consumerorganisation to be a council memb-

er of Consumer International for

25-years.

9. CGSI is a member of the Mahar-

ashtra State Consumer ProtectionCounsil.

10.CGSI participates in a large no. oftechnical committees and gover-

nment decision-making bodies.

LEGAL FRAMEWORK

CGSI was the first consumer organisation

to demand special Consumer Court forredressal of consumers' complaints. In

1975, CGSI led a delegation of fiveconsumer organizations from different

parts of India to the then Minister for food

and Civil Supplies, Mr.T.A. Pai, to press for


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a comprehensive Consumer Protection

Act, Special Consumer Court and aDirectorate for implementation of the Act.

The first two have now become a reality.

COMPLAINTREDRESSAL

CGSI handles consumer complaints andoffers legal guidance to those wishing to

file suits in the Consumer Court. In case

where there are a number of complaintagainst a particular party, both sides are

brought together to resolve the issue. TheCGSI'S Complaints Committee meets

twice a week. Many thousands of

grievances have been handled over the

years, with 70% success in favour of thecomplaints cover medical/surgical

malpractice and negligence; insurancenon-payment; sub-standard drugs and

medicines; home remedies; defectivehousehold appliances; poor quality foods

and drinks; misleading advertising

claims; and grievances concerninginvestments, real estate, insurance,

telephones, electricity supply, etc.

PRODUCTTESTING

As early as 1977, CGSI established thefacility of product testing. It first assessed

the safety and performance of domestic

pressure stoves and found that two-thirdof the samples tested failed in safety

Parameters. CGSI sent the results to thegovernment and Indian Standards

Institution (ISI) with a demand for

mandatory certification. In 1986, the

Pressure Stoves Quality Control Orderwas passed. later, ISI Certification for

pressure stoves became mandatory.Subsequently tests were carried out on

electrical appliances and fittings - irons,immersion heaters, This culminated in

the enactment of the Household Electrical

Appliances (Quality Control) Order. A

food adulteration testing kit has beendeveloped for use by the lay consumer.

Many other products were tested andreports published in the Society's

monthly Journal, "Keemat": edible oils,powdered spices, 'surma', geysers, clinicalthermometers, plastic water bottles,

rubber teats, milk, mineral water, bread,

soft drinks, bath soaps and toothpaste.

CONSUMEREDUCATIONFORSCHOOLS/COLLEGES

CGSI's Education Committee members

had been working with other likeminded

educationists to formally introduceConsumer Education in the school

curriculum. After nearly two years ofmeetings and discussions, our efforts

were fruitful. In 1994, the MaharashtraEducation Board introduced Consumer

Education at the 9th Standard Level,

progressively covering students from the4th Standard upwards. The subject taught

are the Consumer Moment, Rights &

Responsibilities of Consumers, the

Consumer in the Market Place, FoodAdulteration, Weights and Measures, theEnvironment, etc. This topics included

under existing subjects like Civics,

Economics and Home science, are project-based and more practical in nature then

theoretical or examination-oriented.

CONSUMER EDUCATION FOR RURALCONSUMERS

CGSI started a rural project in the villagesof Thane and Raigad districts

(Maharashtra) in 1997, with a staff of sixand funding from Actionaid. Consumer

training was given to people in 112villages by 1999. Over 32,300 people have

received Consumer Education through


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750 talks and demonstrations in the 2

years of the project, 107 trainingprogrammes were organized and 5,767

potential activists have been given specialtraining in Consumer Activision. Three

local Consumer groups have been setup indifferent areas by the Consumersthemselves, and these are now actively

organizing exhibitions, holding talks and

redressing complaints. More are expectedto come up soon.

PUBLICATIONS

"Keemat" is now in its 32th year of

publications, the first Consumer magazine

in India to be published regularly everymonth. CGSI has also produced Consumer

Guides on subject like ElectricalAppliances, Edible Oils, Pesticides, Food,

Adulteration, Safety At Home, Safe Blood,etc.

NATIONALAWARD

In 1991, CGSI received the National

Award for Consumer Protection in its

25th year for service to Consumers. CGSIhopes to reach out to more and more

consumers in the new millennium and todeveloped newer and more effective

methods of serving consumers interest.

CGSIFOUNDERS

The Founder members of CGSI were:

Mrs. Seeta Gupta : Social Worker

Mrs. Indira Mazumdar : Social Worker

Mrs. Seeta Nadkarni : Social Worker

Dr. Leela Thorat : Doctor

Mrs. Leela Jog

: JournalistMrs. Kamala Mankekar

: Journalist

Dr. Shanta S. Rao : Scientist

Mrs. Nalini Tulpule : Social Worker

Mrs. Shakuntala Kadam : Social Worker

Their cause has been joined down the

years by several public minded citizens.

Many illustrious names figure in the list of

CGSI Presidents.

CGSI PRESIDENTS

1969 - 1972 Justice B.N.Gokhale (Retd.)

1972 - 1974 Shri G.L. Mehta (ex-

Ambassador)

1974 - 1977 Justice J.C. Shah (Retd.)

1977 - 1981 Justice J.L. Nain (Retd.)

1982 - 1983 Dr.(Smt.) Kamala Sohonie

1984 - 1986 Smt. Leela Jog

1986 - 1988 Justice B.J.Rele

1988 - 1990 Justice Y.J Chandrachud(Ch.Jus.Supreme Court

Retd.)

1990 - 1991 Justice B. Lentin (Retd.)

1992 - 1995 Shri J.B.D'Souza, I.A.S.

(Retd.)

1995 - 1997 Shri Julio Ribeiro, I.P.S.

(Retd.)

1997 - 2001 Smt. Krishna Basrur


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2001 - Smt.Shalini Sirur

Pedestrian Wing

To secure basic rights of pedestrians towalk in safety, constituting as they do the

single largest segment of the trafficstream in our country, CGSI launched The

Pedestrian Wing on 3rd June 1999 at a

public meeting held at the Society'spremises. The decision came as a logical

follow-up of the Hon'ble Mumbai HighCourt order delivered in 1998 on CGSI's

writ petition filed earlier. To the best of

our knowledge, CGSI is the first NGO in

this country to start a Forum for thepedestrians.

The objectives of Pedestrian Wing are asfollows:

1. To create public awareness about the

rights and responsibilities of Pedestrians

and fight for their due rights.2. To spread awareness about the

importance of walking as a mode of

transport and facilitate its use for shortdistance transportation.

3. To facilitate and promote availability ofuser-friendly Public Transport and

encourage it's use by the public.

4. To do all that is necessary to secure theavailability of use at least 90% of the time

proper smooth, level and properlyconstructed pavements, free of

encroachments, wherever needed.

5.To propagate and secure roadinfrastructure related to pavements such

as i) hand railings along the pavements,

ii) properly marked and paintedpedestrian crossings fitted with electronic

signals, iii) traffic islands, iv) roaddividers and v) proper parking spaces.

6. To fight for proper, orderly and safe

Traffic Management and

conduct/handling of all related mattersconducive to minimum vehicular

pollution.7. To network and co-operate with all

Government, Municipal and likemindedNGOs, Citizen groups working or engagedin transportation fields towards achieving

the above objectives.

The Pedestrian Wing seeks to promote

walking as an ideal mode of shortdistance transportation considering it's

many beneficial effects. As a corollary tothis, Pedestrian Wing actively encourages

and supports citizens in their bid to

secure for themselves all the facilitiesnecessary for their safety to enjoy this

fundamental right. Pedestrian Wing hasalready many active members spread out

all over Mumbai including suburbs.

Pedestrian Wing activities include regular

and continuous interaction with MCGM,Traffic Police, Transport Commissioner

and RTOs at all levels i.e. from HQ to

Ward level for redressal of grievances of

pedestrians and improvement in facilities.CGSI - Pedestrian Wing is a special inviteeto MCGM Inter-Utility Apex Committee

meeting/ Zonal level meetings, Traffic

Advisory Committee of Traffic Police ofMumbai and co-ordination committee of

RTA. Pedestrian Wing also works closelywith like-minded NGOs in the field such

as WORSPA, AGNI, Citispace, NeTrA,

WIAA, PATRA, LPA etc. besides keeping inclose touch with the Pedestrian

Association of U.K.

Pedestrian Wing holds a ' Open House ' on1st Friday of every month at 5 PM at CGSI

office when anyone, whether member or

not, desirous of seeking redressal of hispedestrian/ traffic grievance or making a


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suggestion for improvement in pedestrian

facilities is welcome to attend.

Consumer Education & Research Centre

Consumer Education and Research

Centre (CERC), a non-profit NGO wasestablished during the year 1978, is a

Public Charitable Trust registered underthe Bombay Public Trusts Act, 1948 CERC

and its affiliate body CERS and TORCH,

together have a staff strength of about100 qualified professionals. The org-

anization is located on campus of

10,000 sq.mts. This houses the mainadministrative buildings and the labo-

ratory.

Scope ofActivities andMandate of theOrganization (CERC)

It is a recognized consumer organizationby the Government of India and

Government of Gujarat. It is dedicated tothe cause of consumer protection,

environment protection, investor

protection and public health and safetyissues. It works towards these objectives

through education, media, and research,

effective uses of law, advocacy, lobbyingand in house comparative consumer

product testing. The CERC mandate alsopermits the expansion of its activities to

make it topical, and to deal with emergent

issues of consumer and public health andsafety and protection.

CERC and CERS have filed public interest

litigation/class action cases on major

public health issues before the SupremeCourt of India and Gujarat High Court

such as :-

Safety of drinking water, safety and

adequate labeling of drugs (i.e.Medicines) and asbestos. In the Asbestos

litigation (CERC vs. Government of India)reported in 1995 (3) SCC p.42, various

issues relating to safety of asbestos and

adequate compensation to the victims ofasbestosis were raised in the petition

before the Supreme Court of India. The

Supreme Court allowed the publicinterest petition of CERC. In addition to

the monetary compensation granted tothe families of deceased workers, the

Supreme Court directed that the tests

laid down in the Vienna Convention fortesting the asbestos fiber, and the code of

conduct and the rules for asbestosmanufacturers laid down by the ILO shall

be made mandatory for the Indian

asbestos industry. CERC had prayed thatall international standards for ensuring

safety of workers and safe use and

disposal of asbestos should be adopted bythe asbestos industry in India, which the

Supreme Court was pleased to direct.CERC's interest in FCTC Process Since

public health and safety and consumersafety in particular are important

mandates of CERC, it has been working inthe area of tobacco use and related safety

issues, since 1982. A specific instance is of

successfully fighting the use of tobacco indental tooth pastes, without adequate

label information and packing to theconsumers. In Gujarat, manufacturers

routinely mixed tobacco with tooth pastes


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which were sold under various brand

names such as IPCO and DENTOBAC etc.Consumers were never informed that the

use of these tooth pastes was addictivebecause of the tobacco and nicotine

content in these tooth pastes. We dealtwith a case where a husband was on theverge of a nervous breakdown because

his wife was using up to two tubes of

tobacco based dental tooth paste per day.Any attempt to stop her from using them

led to severe withdrawal symptoms andfurther leading to physical and psy-

chological symptoms. We ultimately

succeeded in getting the Government(Dept. of Health) to insist upon adequate

label information on such tobacco basedtooth pastes, and also including a warningthat such tooth pastes could be addictive,

so that consumers could make aninformed choice.

Recent Developments and contribution ofCERC in tobacco control movement

Consumer Education and ResearchSociety (CERS) has filed a public interest

litigation (read class action litigation) in

the High Court of Gujarat at Ahmadabad(Spl. C.A. No.7930 of 1999) seeking the

following major reliefs :-

To declare tobacco and tobacco products

as a "drug within the meaning of Sec.3(b)(ii) of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act,

1940.

1. To prohibit advertisements of

tobacco in any form and through

any Medias including electronicmedia.

2. To prohibit smoking in public

places.

3. Compulsory education of children

and youths on the hazards oftobacco and tobacco products to

be funded by Contributionsfrom tobacco and tobacco

product manufacturers.

4. To prohibit sale of tobacco and

tobacco products in all public

places such as railway stations,theatres, public parks etc.

5. To prohibit surrogate advertising

of tobacco and tobacco products

including promotion and spons-orship of public events and sports

etc.

6. To direct that detailed and varied

statutory warnings be printed onall cigarette packs

7. All tobacco products carry the`skull and bones' logo

The case has been admitted and notices

have been issued to the Government of

India, Government of Gujarat, Tobaccoand tobacco product manufacturers.

CERS has written to the Minister forHealth & Family Affairs and Food and

Civil Supplies, Govt. of Gujarat in March2000, asking him to enforce a bill for

banning all chewing tobacco (popularly

called Gutkha) and for severely regulatingand restricting tobacco and other tobacco

products and their advertisements.

CERS has also seriously taken up the

case of misleading advertisementswhich promote the use of tobacco and

tobacco products and has asked the

Government to initiate action against thesame :


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-One brand of Gutkha (chewingtobacco) had advertised the product as

having an ISO 9002 Certificate and thusClaiming it to be "safe" for consumption.

Letters have been written to differentGovernment authorities to issue noticeto the manufacturer to refrain from

publishing such advertisements. The

manufacturer for a time being hasstopped issuing such advertisements.

A representation has been sent toGovernment of India (Ministry of

Information and Broadcasting) reques-

ting urgent and immediate action forgross violation of rules and regulations by

cable TV network operators as regardsadvertisements on tobacco productsparticularly gutkha.

The FCTC Process and its relevance to

CERC's Work as pointed out earlier CERC

has been working in the field of tobaccoregulation and control since1982.

CERC has also used internationaldocuments, covenants for providing a

solid factual matrix to its submissions

both in the class action cases filed inthe various Courts for making

representations to the Government of

India, Government of Gujarat and otherpublic and statutory authorities.

CERC also strongly believes in the use

of legal framework and judicial

processes to bring about a permanent andlasting change for the purpose of

protecting public health and safety.

CERC has successfully used thevarious provisions of the Constitution

of India and the Supreme Courtjudgments wherein provisions of

International covenants, treaties,

protocol and conventions have beenheld to be enforceable particularly where

they relate to the Fundamental Rights of

the citizens and consumers ofIndia, more particularly when they relate

to the Right to Life under Article 21 of theConstitution.oTo this end FCTC Conve-

ntion and Process of Public hearings willgo a long way in supporting the variousactions spelt out hereinabove and

towards which CERC has expended

considerable time, effort and money toultimately bring about effective,

meaningful control and regulation oftobacco and tobacco products ; more

particularly in ensuring the

accountability of tobacco and tobaccoproduct manufacturers.

Source ofFunding of CERCCERC is mainly funded through individualdonations and institutional and Governm-

ent grants.


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development, and consumer safety. CUTS

partners with organizations such asConsumers International, the Intern-

ational Centre for Trade and Sustainable

Development, South Asia Watch on TradeEconomics Environment and the Consu-

mer Coordination Council of India.


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CUTS CENTRES

PROGRAMME CENTRES

CUTS CITEECUTS Centre for International Trade, Economics & Environment (CUTS

CITEE), established in 1996 at Jaipur, India aims to be a high-level globalstandard institution for research and advocacy on multilateral trade and

sustainable development issues. Email: [email protected]

CUTS CART

CUTS Centre for Consumer Action, Research & Training (CUTS CART)

established in 1996 at Jaipur, India works towards enabling people,especially women and other disadvantaged groups of society to assert their

rights so that they can achieve the right to basic needs and sustainable

development through a strong consumer movement. Email: [email protected]

CUTS CHDCUTS Centre for Human Development (CUTS CHD), established in 1990 at

village Senti, district Chittorgarh, Rajasthan, India seeks to empower rural

people, especially women and disadvantaged groups of society throughinnovative strategies of social action. Email: [email protected]

CUTS CCIER

CUTS Centre for Competition, Investment & Economic Regulation (CUTS

CCIER) was established in 2003, Jaipur, India to be a centre of excellence onregulatory issues, with focus on competition, investment and economic

regulation. Email: [email protected]

CUTS CRC

CUTS Calcutta Resource Centre established in 1987 has a unique feature of

working simultaneously on Consumer Safety and Grassroots EconomicDevelopment. Email: [email protected]

In view of severe shortage of institutional capacity to both implement reforms and facilitate the spread ofknowledge on regulatory matters in developing countries and lack of adequate emphasis on learning from

cross-sectoral and cross-country experiences, there has been urgent need for an institution to fill this gap.

CUTS Institute for Regulation & Competition (CIRC) was established in September 2005 at Jaipur, India, withan aim to enhance knowledge on regulatory issues. CIRC seeks to offer a wide range of programmes aimed at

the existing scenario and cater to the unmet demand of trained personnel in the following areas:

Infrastructure and Economic Regulation Competition Policy & Law

CUTSInstitute for Regulation & Competition


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Commercial & Economic Diplomacy

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE


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Consumer Coordination Council

Consumer Coordination Council (CCC)

was established in March 1993 as aSociety registered under the Societies

Registration Act of 1860. Before taking

the present shape, a group of consumeractivists representing various Consumer

Organizations gathered (in April 1992) towork as one body, to raise one voice on

issues related to consumer interests and

various Government policies andprogrammes affecting the interest of the

Consumers. CCC has been actively

involved in various consumer-relatedprojects and programmes funded by

UNICEF, UNDP, Ford Foundation,Consumer Welfare Fund and other

funding agencies as also grants from

various Ministries of Govt. of India such

as MNES, MOH&FW, MOFPI, Departmentof AR & PG etc for specific projects.

Earlier CCC had a long-term partnershipwith a German Foundation called

Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung (FNST),which helped in establishing the

organization and provided full support

for its programmes including infra-structural expenditure till 31st March

2002. From 1st April 2002 onward CCC isbeing managed entirely by such project-

related funds. By now CCC has completeda decade of service to the consumers ofthe country in general and its Member

Consumer Organisations in particular.

CCC presently has a membership reach ofover 72 leading Consumer Organizations,

spread over different parts of the

country, which are, or have been

members of the Central ConsumerProtection Council (CCPC), set up under

the Consumer Protection Act. It may also

be added that many more ConsumerOrganisations including some new

Members of CCPC have applied for

Membership of CCC. These are underprocess. Its Governing Council of 12

Members consists of well-knownconsumer activists belonging to

established Consumer Organisations of

long standing.

Our VisionConsumer Sovereignty.

Our Mission

To be an effective national coalition of

consumer protection groups so as toprovide thrust to common issues

affecting consumers.

Aims & Objectives

y Influencing policies, legislationand administrative framework

towards promoting consumer

interests.y Empowering consumer protection

groups to work towardsstrengthening the civil society in

the democratic system of the

country.

One of the major concerns of CCC hasbeen Good Governance. CCC had

accordingly launched a National


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Introduction

CAG came into existence on 7 October

1985 as a non-profit, non-political, non-

religious, voluntary and professionalcitizens group based in Chennai, India. S.

Govind Swaminadhan, legal practitioner

and former Advocate General of the Stateof Tamil Nadu, was the founding trustee

of CAG. The initial trustees included S.

Guhan (former Finance Secretary,Government of Tamil Nadu), S.L.Rao

(former Chairman, Central ElectricityRegulatory Commissioner), Shyamala

Nataraj (development journalist with the

South India Aids Action Program) andSriram Panchu (Senior Advocate).

The Group was originally christened

Consumer Action Group. After nearly adecade of our existence, we decided to

change it to CAG (Citizen, consumer and

civic Action Group), keeping in mind the

larger role that groups such as ours haveto play. Specifically, issues affecting thecommon citizen such as extreme

pollution, lack of access to information,

poor quality health care and civicamenities have emerged as priorities in

the work undertaken by CAG.

Objectives

Over the last five years, our mainactivities have ranged from campaigning

for greater access to information,

monitoring the functioning of publicutilities and advocating for greater

transparency and accountability ingovernmental and private sector

functioning to decentralised and localised

urban planning, and the protection of

open spaces and our naturalenvironment.

A Board of Trustees consisting of personsfrom different walks of life, but with a

common objective of improving thequality of life for citizens oversee the

Groups activities.

CAGs activities are carried out by a teamof young professionals with different

academic and work backgrounds. In the

implementation of our programmes wedraw upon the resources of a wide range

of experts skilled professionals,government officials academia,

journalists and fellow civil society and

NGO activists. This informal consultationwith the Friends of CAG results in an

inclusive, comprehensive and informed

kaleidoscope of ideas that we analyse andapply appropriately.

Every activity of ours is characterized by

the identification of the one critical

intervention, which will directly impactthe citizen-consumer in a significant way.

We arrive at this core conclusion by thefollowing steps:

Collect DataThrough a variety ofsources like original research,

government and other

publications, expert reports etc.we build our case.

Diagnose the problem Very oftenwhat are observed from data

collection are just symptoms of adeeper problem, we identify the

core issue from the data collected.

Subsequently we carry out any orall of the following steps


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depending on the need of the

intervention.

Halt the problem Through avariety of tools including

advocacy, signature campaigns,formal complaints, public interestlitigation and igniting public

participation.

Evolve a Solution In order to

bring about an equitable solution,

which would address the core

issue, we collaborate with

academia/ academicians, civil

society activists and governmentagencies.

Help present the solution

Through our network of contacts

we help present the solution in theappropriate for a

.Disseminate Information: We

carry out capacity-buildingexercises for the citizenry through

outreach programmes, publica-

tions and other communicationtools, which would make them

aware of the issue and its solution.

Implement /Monitor the Solution:

We provide the expertise andresources to ensure solutions are

appropriately implemented and

monitored.

CAGs contributions towards consumer protection has been recognized by the

Government of India who awarded us the National Award for Consumer

Protection in 1989 (Second Prize) and 1991 (First Prize).


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Mumbai Grahak Panchayat

On the auspicious day of Gudhi Padwa

(Hindu New Year), the12th April, 1975.

MGP is a voluntary organization regist-ered in 1981 under Public Charitable

Trust Act.

The objectives ofMGP

To organize consumers.

To make them aware about

their rights and respons-

ibilities.

To make the traders,middlemen, producers /

manufacturers and the

government realize thepower of organized consu-

mer power.

Any individual who has attended the age

of majority, i.e., completed 18 years ofage can become a member of MGP

The types of membership and what arethe fees?

(a) Ordinary member who wants toparticipate in the distribution

system.

(b) Associate member who does

not want to participate in the distributionsystem, but still wants to get associated

with MGP. Both types of members have topay annual fees (April to March) of Rs.

120 plus one time entrance fee of Rs.2.The membership has to be renewed

every year in April.

The membership fees collected by MGP

for financial independence and to obtain

financial backing for different types ofmovements in the interest of consumers.

Consumer Protection wings ofMGP

a) ComplaintGuidance Cells:

MGP believes in protecting the cons-

umer and also provides them with all the

necessary guidance and help in fighting

for their rights and for justice.

MGP has a number of Complaint Guid-

ance Centers all over Mumbai which givefree guidance to consumers hav-ing

complaints.

MGP has 9 Complaint Guidance Cells

operating at following locations in &outside Mumbai:

1) Grahak Bhavan (Juhu

Vileparle)

2) Dadar (West)3) Girgaum

4) Vile Parle (East)

5) Borivali (West)

6) Chembur


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appointments of Presidents and

members.

3) Victory against Paranjape Constr-

uction Co: MGP has secured refund for

more than 800 flat purchasers who had

booked flats with Paranjape Construction

Company atVirar.

4) Western Railways and United

Breweries were not only forced to

withdraw the surrogate Liquor

advertisements from Western Railway

trains but were also forced to

prominently display corrective

advertisements to neutralize the effect of

surrogate liquor ads. First case of its kind

in India.

d) AD-Watch Club: MGP has set up

an Ad-Watch Club to monitor ads in print/ electronic media and prevent offending

/objectionable advertisements particu-

larly those propagating the use of

tobacco, Gutka and alcoholic drinks.

Number of objectionable advertisements

have been withdrawn / modified after Ad

watch Club raised objections. Ad Watch

Club also aims at creating awareness

about the influence of ads on consumers.

Some of its initiatives are:

y It conducts Good Ad, Bad Ad

contests for school children

y It has laid special emphasis on

Impact of Food Advertisements

on Children and keeps a close

eye on advertisements which vie

for childrens attention.

y Ad-Watch Club is also gearing up

to launch a massive campaign to

demand a comprehensive

legislation to control and regulate

advertising in India

y A case was taken up by MGP

where United Beverages

advertised its alcoholic beverage

as Soda on the local trains inMumbai. MGP complained to the

State Government for the removal

of these advertisements and the

UB Group was asked to put up

advertisements made by MGP

promoting natural drinks like

fresh fruit juices, coconut water,

etc. at its own costs on the local

trains of Mumbai for one week.

y It conducts seminars on the

adverse effects of Junk Food like


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pizzas, burgers, chips, etc and soft

drinks.

PRAYAS (Initiatives in

Health, Energy, Learning and

Parenthood) is a non-governmental, non-

profit organization based in Pune, India.

Members of Prayas are professionalsworking to protect and promote public

interest in general and the interests of

disadvantaged sections of society in

particular.

The four groups of Prayas work on the

following substantive themes:

ENERGYGROUP:

Comprehensive, analysis-based

approachoto further public inter-

est in the energy sector with the

goal of democratising energygovernance through research and

intervention in policy andregulatory areas; and offering

training and support to civil

society groups.

HEALTH GROUP:

Awareness regarding HIV/AIDS,

training,

creation of educational material,information dissemination, cou-

nseling, care and support facility

for people with HIV, child

care, prevention of mother to childtransmission (PMTCT), research,

advocacy and networking

RESOURCES & LIVELIHOODSGROUP:

Focus on issues related to livelihoodsecurity for the poor and vulnerable by

promoting the perspective of people-

centered governance in policy making

and public administration and increasingtransparency, accountability and public

participation in governance processes.

LEARNINGAND PARENTHOODGROUP:Alternative Ideas in Education &

Parenting


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Overview of the Centre

Public Affairs Centre (PAC) is a not for

profit organization, established in 1994

with a mandate to improve the quality of

governance in India. The creation of PACwas perhaps the first civil society-led

institutional initiative to mobilize ademand for good governance in India.

The focus of PAC is primarily in areas

where citizens and civil societyorganizations can play a proactive role in

improving governance. In this regard,PAC undertakes and supports research,

disseminates research findings, facilitates

collective citizen action through

awareness raising and capacity buildingactivities, and provides advisory services

to state and non-state agencies. TheCentre is globally known for its

pioneering Citizen Report Cards,benchmarking studies used to improve

public services, as well as their work on

electoral transparency, public worksquality monitoring tools and approaches

and the recently launched audits of theRight to Information Act and the National

Rural Employment Guarantee Act inIndia.

The Beginning

The genesis of PAC can be traced to a

modest but pioneering initiative by Dr.

Samuel Paul in the early nineties. In

1992, Dr. Paul, an eminent economist,

teacher and management professional,with several friends initiated a unique

experiment to produce a Report Card

on public services in Bangalore.Anchoring on the twin concepts of

measurement and comparison, reportcards generated objective and crediblecitizen feedback on issues related to the

delivery of public services like quality,reliability, corruption and satisfaction.

The approach received much national

and international attention. The publicdebates the findings triggered and the

media interest that issues like corruptiongenerated provided a much needed

stimulus to several public agencies in

Bangalore to review their performances.These initial responses led to the formal

creation of the Centre in 1994 with

financial support from the NationalFoundation for India and the Ford

Foundation.

OurApproach

PACs uniqueness lies in synthesizing

research and action in its activities and

approaches. Its research aims to providea stimulus for action. And, its action in

turn is powered by knowledge derived

from research. PACs work is primarilyorganized around the premise that an

informed and active citizenry is the keyto improved governance. While


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conventional policy research

concentrates on policy issues andadministrative processes, PACs work has

focused on governance as experiencedfrom an average citizens perspective.

Our Vision

In pursuit of realizing its vision to

improve the quality of public governancein India by creating vibrant, informed and

proactive citizen engagements with the

state and its institutions, Public AffairsCentre's mission encompasses a multi

pronged approach synthesizing a rangeof strategies and interventions.

Our Mission

The pivotal points of PAC's mission,

around which the activities of the Centreare organized are: public policy research

and advocacy; participatory research on

governance and social accountabilityincluding monitoring and evaluation of

public services and programmes; citizen

action support; civic education ofchildren and youth; promoting citizen

centred environmental governance andcapacity enhancement of both the state

and civil society.


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Centre for Budget and Policy Studies

The Centre for Budget and PolicyStudies was formed in February 1998 as

an off-shoot from a research programme

in the Development ResearchFoundation (DRF), a part of Technology

Informatics Design Endeavour (TIDE),

also a non-profit society in Bangalore.CBPS is an independent, non partisan, not

for profits society based in Bangalore.

Analysing the state's budget and thebudgetary processes at the local level for

various sectors such as Health, Education

& other services forms an important areaof work at CBPS. Significant research in

subject matters such as Reproductive &Child Health, Maternal Health, District

Income Estimation, and Democracy &

Decentralisation at the local level, urbangovernance and Right to Information

forms the strength of the organisation,and CBPS believes in the spirit of aknowledge society. Sharing and

dispersing its research to its stakeholdersthrough various mediums such as

workshops, documentary films and

publications give CBPS the exposure itneeds.

The Centre for Budget and Policy studies

in Bangalore was set up in 1998, as an off

shoot of a Development ResearchFoundation project of Technology

Informatics Design Endeavour. Havingworked at the local level, CBPS has taken

its research results back to the

communities in which it has worked.After analysis, it has held workshops to

share the results and to explore the

future with the people concerned. It waspart of the PROOF campaign in

Bangalore, which was a partnership of 4

NGOs in the city. It has been part ofnetworks like the International Budget

Project, and the Transparency and

Accountability Programme. It has takenan active part in workshops and seminars

organised by other groups. CBPS was one

of the partners involved in the setting upof the Centre for Budget and Governance

Accountability in Delhi.

VISIONCreation and Sharing of knowledge for an

empowered, equitable, just anddemocratic society

MISSION

Research and Evaluation in theareas of policy, budget,governance and public service

delivery

Capacity enhancement of diverse

stakeholders/ at various levels

Evidence based Advocacy anddissemination through variety of

approaches

The principles of equity, empowerment,

justice, democracy and accountability

provide the guiding frame for all our

work.


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Social sectors such as education, health

and water are our special focus areas. Wespecialize in public policy and finance

issues especially in the context of afederal framework.

Governing Board:

The Governing Body of CBPS lays down

the policies, principles, norms, standards

and guidelines for fulfilling the objectivesof the society. It manages the funds, co-

ordinates the appointment of staff andinitiates and defends all legal

proceedings on behalf of the society.

The Centre for Budget and Policy Studies(CBPS) is an independent, non partisan,not for profits society based in Bangalore.

The mission of the Society is to

contribute through research tounderstanding and implementing a

process of sustainable and equitabledevelopment in India, with a focus on the

local level. To this end, analysing the

states budget and the budgetaryprocesses at the local level for various

sectors such as Health, Education & otherservices forms an important area of work

at CBPS. The Centre has been

instrumental in carrying out research insubject matters such as Reproductive &

Child Health, Maternal Health, District

Income Estimation, Democracy &decentralisation at the local level, Urban

governance and Right to Information toname a few. CBPS believes in the spirit of

a knowledge society and to this end

disseminates its research to itsstakeholders through various mediums

such as workshops, documentary films, &publications.

Documents

Consumer Organizations Are Advocacy Groups That Seek to Protect People From Corporate Abuse Like Unsafe Products