Consumer Awareness Project

Introduction

Consumer awareness is the knowledge consumers have about products, services, and their rights, which empowers them to make informed decisions and protects them from exploitation. It involves understanding the quality, price, and safety of goods, as well as knowing how to use available channels for redressal if something goes wrong. Essentially, it's about being a smart buyer who is conscious of both the products they are buying and their rights as a consumer.

How Consumers Are Exploited

Key ways in which consumers are exploited include:
• Unfair Pricing:
Charging prices higher than the prescribed retail price (overcharging), price gouging during high demand or emergencies, and black-marketing or hoarding goods to create artificial scarcity and drive up prices.
• Deceptive Advertising and Misinformation:
Using false or misleading advertisements that make bogus claims about a product's quality, features, or benefits to attract consumers. This includes providing incomplete information or hiding potential risks and side effects.
• Substandard and Defective Products:
Selling goods that do not meet the promised quality standards, are defective, or made with inferior materials. This can involve selling expired medicines or electronic devices without necessary safety measures.
• Adulteration and Impurity:
Mixing inferior or harmful substances with a product to increase quantity and profit margins. Common examples include mixing stones in rice, water in milk, or brick powder in chili powder, which poses serious health risks.
• Incorrect Measurements:
Using false weights and measures to sell products in quantities less than what is advertised or paid for (underweighting/undermeasurement).
• Sale of Duplicate/Spurious Goods:
Selling fake or imitation products under the name of genuine, popular brands to take advantage of the brand's reputation.
• Poor After-Sales Service and Unfair Terms:
Denying free services during the warranty period on flimsy grounds or imposing unfair contract terms and conditions, such as excessive cancellation fees.
• Monopolistic Practices and Limited Choice:
In markets with limited competition, sellers may control supply and prices, leaving consumers with no alternative choices and forcing them to accept unfair terms.
• Hidden Fees and Charges:
Adding undisclosed or unclear fees to the final cost of products or services, misleading consumers about the true price.

Consumer Protection Act (COPRA)

Consumer rights, protected under the Consumer Protection Act (COPRA), include the right to safety, right to be informed, right to choose, right to be heard, right to seek redressal, and right to consumer education. This means consumers have the right to be protected from hazardous goods, receive clear information about products, choose from a variety of goods at competitive prices, have their grievances addressed, seek compensation for unfair practices, and be aware of their rights and responsibilities. COPRA also provides a legal framework for consumers to file complaints and seek compensation through consumer forums

Six Rights of Consumers

• Right to safety:
Protection against the marketing of goods and services that are hazardous to life and property.
• Right to be informed:
The right to be informed about the quality, quantity, potency, purity, standard, and price of goods or services to protect the consumer against unfair trade practices.
• Right to choose:
The right to be assured, wherever possible, access to a variety of goods and services at competitive prices.
• Right to be heard:
The right to be heard and to be assured that consumer interests will receive due consideration at appropriate forums.
• Right to seek redressal:
The right to seek redressal against unfair trade practices, restrictive trade practices, or unscrupulous exploitation of consumers.
• Right to consumer education:
The right to acquire the knowledge and skill to be an informed consumer.

Redressal Mechanism

A redressal mechanism is a structured system for resolving complaints and grievances, providing a way for individuals to seek a solution for a harm or complaint against a company, organization, or government agency. It serves to ensure accountability, transparency, and citizen satisfaction by offering multiple channels for feedback, with clear timelines for resolution, and a system for escalation if initial attempts fail.

• District Forum – upto ₹1 crore
• State Commission – ₹1 crore to ₹10 crore
• National Commission – above ₹10 crore

Poster and Advertisement

Digital Poster

Adulteration Experiments (Simple Home Tests)

Milk & Milk Products

1. Water in Milk: Place a drop of milk on a polished, slanting surface. Pure milk flows slowly and leaves a white trail; adulterated milk runs quickly without any mark.

2. Detergent in Milk: Shake equal amounts of milk and water. Persistent, dense lather indicates detergent; pure milk forms only light foam.

3. Starch in Milk/Ghee/Butter: Boil the sample with a little water, cool it, and add 2–3 drops of iodine. A blue colour shows the presence of starch.

Spices & Food Grains

4. Papaya Seeds in Black Pepper: Add pepper to water. Pure pepper settles at the bottom; papaya seeds float.

5. Brick Powder in Chilli Powder: Add chilli powder to water. Brick powder settles at the bottom; pure chilli powder floats.

6. Artificial Colour on Greens/Chillies: Rub the surface with a cotton ball dipped in water or oil. If the cotton turns green, artificial colouring is present.

7. Iron Filings in Tea/Flour: Move a magnet over the dry sample. Iron filings stick to the magnet.

Other Common Foods

8. Sugar Syrup in Honey: Add a drop of honey to water. Pure honey settles at the bottom; adulterated honey disperses.

9. Chalk Powder in Sugar/Salt: Dissolve the sample in water. Chalk or insoluble impurities settle at the bottom.

10. Adulterated Coconut Oil: Refrigerate the oil for 30 minutes. Pure coconut oil solidifies uniformly; other oils remain as liquid layers.

Acknowledgement

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Mr. Sharad, whose guidance, encouragement, and valuable insights greatly supported me throughout the completion of this project. His constant motivation and willingness to help at every stage made this work both meaningful and enjoyable. I am also thankful to my school for providing the necessary resources and a positive learning environment that enabled me to carry out this project effectively.

Finally, I extend my heartfelt thanks to my parents and friends for their support and understanding.

This project is submitted by Atulya Pandey with utmost dedication and appreciation for everyone who contributed to its successful completion.

Reflection

Working on this Consumer Awareness project has been an eye-opening experience. It helped me understand how important it is for every consumer to know their rights, responsibilities, and the ways to make safe and informed choices in the marketplace. Through researching topics like consumer rights, common malpractices, and the role of consumer protection laws, I realized how awareness can prevent exploitation and empower people. This project also improved my critical thinking skills. I learned to compare products, check labels, verify authenticity, and analyze how advertisements influence our decisions. The activities and case studies made me more alert as a consumer and more responsible in everyday situations.
Overall, this project has not only strengthened my academic understanding but has also prepared me for real-life situations. It taught me that an informed consumer is a protected consumer, and awareness is the first step toward building a fair and safe marketplace.

Bibliography

• NCERT Class 10 Economics
• Jago Grahak Jago — jagograhakjago.gov.in
• Ministry of Consumer Affairs — consumeraffairs.nic.in
• Geeks for Geeks — geeksforgeeks.org