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Role of Consumer Organizations and NGOs:
Question- what do you mean by NGO?
Answer- NGO stands for Non-governmental organizations. These organizations are non-profit organizations which aim at promoting the welfare of people. They have a constitution of their own and are free from government interference.
In India ,several consumer organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have been set up for the protection and promotion of consumers’ interests.
Consumer organizations and NGOs perform several functions for the protection and promotion of interest of consumers. These include:
a) Educating the general public about consumer rights by organizing training programmes, seminars and workshops.
b) Publishing periodicals and other publications to impart knowledge about consumer problems, legal reporting, reliefs available and other matters of interest.
c) Providing legal assistance to consumers by way of providing legal advice etc. in seeking legal remedy.
d) Filing complaints in appropriate consumer courts on behalf of the consumers.
e) Taking an initiative in filing cases in consumer courts in the interest of the general public, not for any individual.
f) Carrying out comparative testing of consumer products in trusted laboratories to test relative qualities of competing brands and publishing the test results for the benefit of consumers.
g) Encouraging consumers to strongly protest and take an action against unfair trade practices of sellers.
Some of the Important Consumer Organizations and NGOs:
| City | Name of Organization / NGO |
| Delhi | Consumer Coordination Council, Delhi |
| Common Cause, Delhi | |
| Voluntary Organisation in Interest of Consumer Education (VOICE) | |
| Ahmedabad | Consumer Education and Research Centre (CERC), Ahmedabad |
| Consumer Protection Council (CPC), Ahmedabad | |
| Mumbai | Consumer Guidance Society of India (CGSI), Mumbai |
| Mumbai Grahak Panchayat, Mumbai | |
| Bangalore | Karnataka Consumer Service Society, Bangalore |
| Kolkata | Consumers’ Association, Kolkata |
| Jaipur | Consumer Unity and Trust Society (CUTS), Jaipur |
Other Topics From This Chapter:
Topic 1 – Consumer Protection – Concept, Scope and Importance
Topic 2 – Consumer Protection Act and its Legal Protection to Consumers
Topic 3 – Consumer Rights and Duties
Topic 4 – Ways of Consumer Protection and Relief available to Consumers
Topic 5 – 3 Tier Redressal Machinery | Redressal Machinery under Consumer Protection Act