Laws of Consumer Rights : From Cheating to Ethical Markets

Mid-19th Century's Industrial Revolution brought umpteen number of changes like large scale production, mass employment opportunities, rapid change in Science and Technology and high mass of consumption, Global Markets were widened and deepened with interlinkages of national economies. The movement of capital goods and services across international boundaries has resulted increasing integration of global markets. The Consumer choices, minimized costs, maximized efficiencies, transparency have provided value of money for the consumer. Centuries together, man is in sellers markets with deceptive, unfair and unscrupulous practices of traders and service providers. Oscar wiled poet stated long back that "everybody knows price nobody knows cost".

 

Consumer education enlightened with skills, knowledge and understanding, which prevent consumers detriment, and enhanced consumer protection has become a necessity. Empowered consumers make optimal decisions, ascertain their rights and can complain and seek redress when their rights are violated. The Consumer Protection Law reached an experience of 30 years, which are little digested in urban areas but not to villages' consumers. Inspite of laws, the old practices die hard among Indian Sellers over windfall profits, than looking for a buyer market, as in west. Firm Performance: An analysis in the Context of Clustered Firms in a Rural Region in West Bengal, India; Environmental-Resource Utilization Performance: A Study of Selected Asian Companies; Challenges for Sustainable Financing of the Urban Local Bodies of West Bengal; Information Technology Industry: Rapid Depletion of Human Capital and a Major Challenge to Sustainable Development; Environmental Pollution, Green Capital and International Trade; Pisciculture as a Source of Sustainable Income of Self-Help Group Members of Birbhum District, West Bengal, India.