The Indian government has taken many steps to enlighten the customers about their rights. To empower the customers with the right knowledge about their rights, the government of India constitutes various programs. One such program is the Jago Grahak Jago movement.
The Jago Grahak Jago which when translated means ‘wake up customer, wake up’ is one of the biggest initiatives taken up by the government of India. The intention of this movement was to educate customers about their rights and responsibilities. Another major aim of this movement was to protect consumers from the predatory practices of businesses.
It is observed that in many cases businesses cheat consumers in the name of the business. They impose heavy burdens on the shoulders of the consumers by slamming heavy profits and ignoring the social harms the products and the services may cause. In such conditions, the consumer cannot fight alone with the big and wealthy business organizations. The idea of the movement was to spread the idea that the government is with the common man in his fight against commercial injustice and harm.
In order to create a bias-free and flourishing business environment, the department of food started the Jago Grahak Jago Movement in 2005. It was backed by the other departments of the government and a full-fledged initiative was taken to highlight the cases of injustice businesses often resort to earning more profits than what is permissible to them.
It is notable that the main motive of the Jago Grahak Jago movement was to mobilize the customers with knowledge so that they could report cases of cheating and malfunctioning businesses. It was applicable to all businesses from small to corporate houses and cases related to the program was divided into three categories - the district level, state level, and central level cases according to the size of the businesses.
Following are the key features of the movement in detail −
The Jago Grahak Jago movement was aimed at providing consumer rights to customers irrespective of caste, creed, demography, or level of education. It was especially aimed at the customers from rural India who constituted the bulk of the consumer segment yet were the most prone to vulnerabilities related to consumer rights generally applicable to all.
The six types of rights that are applicable in the case of the Consumer Protection Act 1986 which was revamped in 2019 are −
The Right to Safety − Consumers should not be exposed to the marketing of goods that are hazardous to life and property. The sale and marketing of such items should be immediately objected to and such practices must be abandoned by businesses as instantly as possible. Customers, in general, should check the quality stamps offered by the government, such as AGMARK and ISI to get quality products.
The Right to Be Informed − The quantity, quality, potency, purity, standard, and price of a good or service should be informed to the customer before selling a product or a service. As knowledge of these aspects help customers make an informed decision, the businesses should hide none of the mentioned details.
The Right to Choose − The customer should have a variety of items so that he can check the details of the goods and buy the best item from the group of potential products available to him in a market. The customer should not be pressurized and in the case of a monopoly, the customer should get a minimum level of quality at an affordable price.
The Right to Be Heard − The customer has a right to be heard which means that when he brings an issue to the table, the concerned authorities must pay attention to it. If it is a complaint against a business, the complaint must be analyzed by the concerned authority and the businesses doing injustice must be punished.
The Right to Seek Redressal −The customers must have the right to seek compensation against a grievance that cost them money. The concerned authorities should find out whether a redressal is applicable and provide the customer the redressal as and when required.
The Right to Consumer Education − The consumer has the right to learn about the consumer rights offered by the government and he can also reach any government or non-governmental organization to learn more about his rights. Objections made against such rights are subject to overrule immediately.
The channels used by the government for the Jago Grahak Jago movement included the following −
Media Ads − A host of ads in print and TV were applicable to the campaign. The media ads constituted the biggest chunk of the budget of the movement. Music and video ads were part of media ads. The idea was to attract more customers to be part of the movement.
Video Campaigns − Video campaigns aimed at rural consumers were also part of the movement. These videos were made available in rural headquarters and they were used via various means, such as ads before movies in cinema halls and special video screenings in villages.
Prints − A host of prints, such as printed T-shirts, caps, and mugs were also used as a part of the program. These items were distributed among the participants of the program to reach a wider audience.
Posters − Various types of posters were printed and distributed to increase the interest of customers to know more about the program. Posters were also distributed in rural areas to increase awareness about consumer rights.
Audio campaigns − Audio campaigns such as ads on the radio were also made part of the movement. These ads were meant to spread awareness to rural areas.
The Jago Grahak Jago movement is backed by the Consumer Protection Act (COPRA) which was introduced in the assembly in October, 1986 and came into force on December 24, 1986. It was replaced by Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
The Consumer Protection Act, of 2019 was a revamped version of COPRA. It was meant to meet the growing demands of consumers and the changing scenario of businesses.
The 2019 bill was introduced in the assembly on 8th July, 2019, it came into force on 20th July, 2020. The Consumer Protection Act, of 2019 also has jurisdiction over ecommerce companies.
The Jago Grahak Jago movement is a very popular and important movement in terms of consumer rights. As mentioned above, consumers do not have any security in a world where businesses want to maximize their earnings if the governments do not lend a hand to the former. There must be wider knowledge of the business scenarios and the rights available to consumers to every enlighten customer to empower them.
Businesses should and must not engage in predatory practices and Jago Grahak Jago is a very pertinent movement in this step. By knowing one’s rights and responsibilities, empowered customers can keep the market healthful and affordable for everyone. That is why Jago Grahak Jago is an unavoidable tool in the hands of the customers to rule out discrepancies in consumer rights.
Qns 1. Was Jago Grahak Jago a government-backed program?
Ans. Yes. Jago Grahak Jago was introduced by the food department of the Government of India.
Qns 2. When was the COPRA introduced?
Ans. The Consumer Protection Act (COPRA) was first introduced in 1986. It was revamped in 2019.
Qns 3. What is the meaning of Jago Grahak Jago?
Ans. Jago Grahak Jago means Wake up, customer, wake up.
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