Consumer movements

The consumer movement took another stride in the concluding decade of the last century when several federations of consumer associations were formed to derive the benefits of collective and unified approach. More than a dozen states have formed apex bodies for networking the consumer groups for a common cause. These states include Tamil Nadu, Kerela, Gujrat, Karnataka, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajashthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. While the consumer movement in India has enlarged in scope and coverage during the last two decades.
However out of the 800 odd consumer associations, only few can be regarded as well organised and recognised for the useful work they have been pursuing by educating the consumers, advocating their causes, fighting court cases for them, handling consumer complaints, initiating public interest litigation and representing consumers as members of official committees and consultative bodies.

However, the movement till now has been confined to the middle class citizens in urban centres by the large. It has yet to spread among the masses in rural and semi-urban areas. Professionalisation of the consumer organisations is also far to be major constraint with most of them. Even as the creation of Consumer Welfare Fund by the Government has helped some of the organisation by providing grants in aid, memberships subscriptions and donations happens to be the main source of finance for the majority of these voluntary organisations.


The beginning of the 1990s was marked by emergence of a novel concept in consumer protection when voluntary organisation in the interest of consumer education (VOICE) started conducting comparative testing of the products available in the market and publishing the results thereof for the benefits of the consumer at large. The chief objective behind this exercise being: to enable the consumers to decide " Best Buy" for themselves.

Till date, VOICE has undertaken comparative testing of about a dozen consumer products including colour TV, water filters, dry cell batteries, detergent powder, TV antenna, Paracetamol, iodised salt, electric fan regulator, automatic voltage stabiliser, two-in –one, Lap Top computers, Flatbed Scanners and Ceiling fans.

It was only because of the efforts taken in this direction during the 1990s that the consumers were able to learn that "Surf Excel" provides better results than " Ariel" while washing clothes in machine and that there choice than the economically priced " Nirma'' when washing clothes by hand.
Similarly, one of the comparative tests conducted by VOICE has proved that lesser popular flatbed scanner" Epson Perfection 1200 Photo" provides the best results as compared to the most popular brand" HP ScanJet". Another test done on various laptop computers provided information to the consumers that why " dell Inspiron" is the best choice as compared to others in the market.

To continue with its commitment to provide consumers with the information on ins and outs of all the products, future tests to be carried out by VOICE include products like toilet soaps, toothpastes and talcum powders, biscuits, cooking oil and beverages. Among other products that the organisation proposes to carry tests on in near future like cement, Ketchups, Wheat flour, Mosquito Repellents, Cosmetic Products and domestic appliances.

The result of all such tests are provided to national media with the objective that the some gets disseminated among the consumers. Simultaneously, each issue of consumer voice magazine also carries the results of these tests in details.

You can contact VOICE office at cvoice@vsnl.net or visit www.consumer-voice.org for details or write to Consumer Voice, F-71, Lajpat Nagar-II, New Delhi-110024.