Introduction

Science and biotechnology haveprogressed enormously in the last fewdecades,

contributing to peoplesimproved quality of life, along with anincreased awareness
about peoplesrights. People are often misled by sellersin day-to-day purchases
leading toconsumer dissatisfaction. To safeguard
the interests of consumers, Countriesworldwide have developed
Consumerprotection organizations. Even in India,Consumer Protection Act (COPRA)
waspassed by the Parliament in 1986 aswelfare legislation in the interest
ofconsumers
Conditions of application of section 6
Not all misdescriptions of services are covered by the provisions of the Trade
Descriptions Act since there is a detailed list of matters in respect of which an
offence may be committed. Furthermore there is a mens rea requirement as to the
facts of the offence created. This matter apart, section 6 provide that it is an offence
for any person acting in the course of a trade of business to make a prohibited
statement. It follows that as in the case of section 3 an offence may be committed
by any person whether he be the supplier of services or not provided he acts in the
course of trade. Thus an offence may be committed buy someone who is not the
supplier but has an interest in the outcome of the transaction entered by the
customer. In Britain, a question arose whether a trade includes he activitie

To generate awareness among consumers about their rights and

responsibilities,motivate them to assert their rights so not to compromise on the
quality andstandards of goods and services and to seek redressal of their disputes
inconsumer fora, if required.(iv)

To educate the consumers as to be aware of their rights & social responsibilities

CONSUMER RIGHTS
The importance of consumer rights lies in their enforceability, which in turndepends
largely on level of consumer education and awareness. In other words, it isnot
enough to have dynamic consumer laws in the country. There must be an
equalthrust on education of all citizens on the consumer rights available to them
and themechanisms through which these rights, if violated can be redressed.The
rights of consumer which are being sought to be promoted and protectedthrough
the legislative mandate available under the Consumer Protection Act, 1986

The right to be protected against marketing of goods and services which

arehazardous to life and property;(b)

The right to be informed about the quality, quantity, potency, purity,standard and
price of goods or services, as the case may be to protect theconsumer against
unfair trade practices;(c)

The right to be assured, wherever possible to access to variety of goods andservices

at competitive prices;(d)

The right to be heard and to be assured that consumers interests will receivedue
consideration at appropriate fora;(e)

The right to seek redressal against unfair trade practices or restrictive

tradepractices or unscrupulous exploitation of consumers; and(f)
CONSUMER AWARENESS
In a world of information asymmetry the government has the responsibility
toredress this imbalance. In the Government of India, the Department of Consumer
Affairs is the focal point for different Departments and organizations to make
theconsumers aware of market realities as well as the rights of the consumers and
themanner in which they can educate themselves and also enforce their rights.
Accordingly, the