Dimapur, Dec. 19 (EMN): The Nagaland Voluntary Consumers’ Organisation (NVCO) has launched a weeklong ‘consumer awareness campaign,’ on Dec. 18, at Kohima. A press release from the organisation on Wednesday stated some of the economic imperatives that consumers and citizens need to know. National Consumer Rights Day is observed every year on Dec. 24.
The press release emphasised on Right to Safety: Consumers’ rights to safety is “as vast in its purview as the market reach itself.”
“It applies to all possible consumption patterns and to all goods and services. In the context of the new market economy and rapid technological advances affecting the market, the right to safety has become a pre-requisite quality in all products and services,” the organisation stated. For instance, according to the press release, some Indian products carry the ISI mark, which is a symbol of satisfactory quality of a product. Similarly, the FPO and Agmark symbolise standard quality of food products, the NVCO stated.
Another right, the Right to Food Safety is an important consumer right because it directly affects the health and quality of life of consumers, the organisation stated.
The organisation stated: “Safety of natural food products is also a problem of growing concern since due to increased chemical inputs in farms. Our food supply is being contaminated with pesticides and chemicals. This poses a grave danger to consumer health.”
Further, for non-vegetarians, the problem is even more serious since food animals are being fed antibiotics to fight diseases among animals and boost their growth, the NVCO stated. “Consumers need to become accountable for their consumption patterns and their serious environmental and economic implications.”
The four R’s of consumption—reduction, recycling, refuse and reuse—are not just a consumer's prerogative but also his consumer responsibility, the NVCO stated.
“The consumer movement needs active participation of consumers to lobby with the government, pressure the market to deliver better quality, and to support consumer rights campaigns. Empowerment of consumers by nongovernmental organisations and public campaigns is a two-way process and without continuing consumer support, no campaign can flourish,” the organisation stated. The NVCO said it will be observing National Consumer Rights Day.
