National Consumer Day

The government has declared 24 December as 'National Consumer Day', since the President gave his assent on that day to the enactment of the historic Consumer Protection Act, 1986. Besides this, 15 March is observed as 'World Consumer Rights Day' every year.

केन्द्रीय सरकार - ग्राहकों की दुश्मन

शरद पवार केंद्र सरकार में मंत्री हैं. पहले दूध, फिर चीनी और अब प्याज - इस मंत्री महोदय ने ऐसे बयान दिए कि इन रोज जरूरत की चीजों की कीमते बढ़ गईं और जो बढ़ गईं वह कम नहीं हुईं. फोटो पर क्लिक करें और पढ़ें कि पवार साहब ने कैसे देश की जनता के साथ दुश्मनी निभाई. ऐसा उन्होंने क्यों किया? वह देश की जनता से यह दुश्मनी क्यों निकाल रहे हैं?

प्याज की कीमतें आसमान पर पहुँच गईं. केंद्र सरकार सच्चे-झूठे आश्वासन देने लगी. पर पवार साहब ने स्पष्ट कह दिया की तीन सप्ताह से पहले कीमतें कम नहीं होंगी. ऐसी बातें उन्होंने दूध और चीनी के बारे में भी कही थीं. कीमतें बढ़ गईं और आज भी बढ़ रही हैं. यह कैसा कृषि मंत्री है जो जब मुहँ खोलता है तब खाने की चीजों की कीमतें बढ़ जाती हैं?

प्याज के मामले में तो इस मंत्री ने कमाल कर दिया. मंदी से ग्राहक तक पहुँचने में प्याज की कीमतें १३५% बढ़ गईं. एक मंगलवार के दिन ही थोक व्यापारियों ने ४ करोड़ रुपये और ज्यादा कमा लिए. पवार साहब के हिस्से में इन तीन हफ़्तों में कितना माल आएगा इस का अंदाजा लगाया जा सकता है.

प्रधानमंत्री ने अपनी चिंता प्रकट कर दी है और अपना कर्तव्य पूरा कर लिया है. कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष ने पार्टी का आह्वान किया है कि विपक्ष पर हमला बोल दो.

जनता पिस रही है. उसे पिसने दो. उसका तो काम ही पिसना है.

दिल्ली सरकार - ग्राहकों की दुश्मन

मैंने १५ सितम्बर २०१० को इस ब्लॉग पर एक पोस्ट लिखी थी - दिल्ली सरकार - ग्राहकों की दोस्त या दुश्मन. पढ़ने के लिए क्लिक करें.

पहले तो दिल्ली की मुख्य मंत्री को जैसे ही पता चला कि डीईआरसी विजली की दरें कम करने जा रहा है वह घबडा गईं उन्होंने खुद दौड़ कर डीईआरसी को विजली की दरें कम करने के आदेश को जारी करने कि सिफारिश करने से ही रोक दिया. बाद में जब डीईआरसी ने यह सिफारिश कर ही डाली तब उन्होंने उसे यह कह कर अस्वीकार कर दिया कि वह डीईआरसी के चेयरमेन कि निजी राय है. बाद में दिल्ली हाई कोर्ट ने यह कहा कि उन्हें डीईआरसी को निर्देश देने का अधिकार नहीं है. इस बीच डीईआरसी के चेयरमेन रिटायर हो गए.

अब नए चेयरमेन ने विजली की दरें बढाने की सिफारिश कर डी और दिल्ली सरकार ने उसे मान लिया है. इस सिफारिश के अनुसार विजली दरें लगभग ३०% बढ़ जायेंगी. तेल और दूध के दाम कई बार बढ़ चुके हैं. जरूरी चीजों के दाम आसमान छू रहे हैं. प्याज ने तो नागरिकों को रुला दिया है. ऐसे में विजली की दरें एक तिहाई बढ़ाना तो जनता की कमर हो तोड़ देगा.

कुछ महीने पहले डीईआरसी के चेयरमेन ने कहा था कि सब विजली कम्पनियों को काफी लाभ हुआ है और यह कम्पनियां झूट बोल रही हैं कि उन्हें नुक्सान हो रहा है. अब नया डीईआरसी का चेयरमेन आ गया है और वह विजली कम्पनियों की हाँ में हां मिला रहा है. साथ के फोटो पर क्लिक कर के देखिये इस कहानी को.

फैसला आप कीजिए कि दिल्ली सरकार ग्राहकों की दोस्त है या दुश्मन. मेरे विचार में तो ग्राहकों की सब से बड़ी दुश्मन है दिल्ली सरकार. जनता ने इस सरकार को तीसरी बार चुना और इस एहसान फरामोश सरकार ने उन्हीं को कैसे धोखे और झटके दिए हैं.

For sake of fellow humans do not smoke

Do you know that when you smoke, you join those responsible for killing of 6 lakh people every year. If you are a consumer of cigarettes and other smoke products, then you should stop smoking. This is the least you can do for your feloow human beings.

It is not only that a smoker causes death of 6 lakh people a year but note that smokimg itself kills 51 lakh people the world over.

CLICK to read details of WHO study.

Canned rasgullas a health hazard: Report

If you think canned rasgullas are a better option than khoya-based sweets this Diwali, think again. The mouth-watering sweets sold by big brands at high prices have been found to have micro-organisms that can cause diseases. Also, it has been found that most of the canned rasgullas have a higher percentage of syrup than prescribed.

It's claimed that in one of the cans weighing a kilogram, the drained weight of rasgullas was found to be 179 grams only! The maximum drained weight was 367 grams for all brands tested.

This has been revealed in tests conducted by Consumer Voice, an NGO supported by the ministry of consumer affairs. Eight popular brands of rasgullas sold across the country were tested. They were checked for quality, whether they were safe for consumption or not and for sensory test properties. However, officials of some of these companies complained they were not contacted during testing.

``Brands Bikano, Kaleva and MTR did not meet the requirement for bacterial count and failed the test. Brand K C Das also had the bacterial count near about the maximum limit (500 per gram),'' said Sishir Ghosh, head of the NGO. He said the samples were tested at a laboratory approved by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL).

The microorganisms are responsible for many food-borne diseases. Traces of heavy metals, including lead and nickel, were also found in some brands of rasgullas. ``Except for Ganguram's, all the brands showed a fat percentage lower than the precribed limit. The fat component adds richness of flavour, contributes to a smooth texture and as per national standards should be at least five per cent,'' said Ghosh.

The tests showed that most of the canned rasgullas contained a high amount of sugar syrup which is generally not used by the consumer. The drained weight of rasgullas ranged between 17.42 per cent and 34.63 percent of the net weight, which consumer activists say is a major non-conformity for most of the brands of this product and loss for consumers. ``The drained weight was found to be lesser than what these companies claim. The consumers are cheated as the cans are filled with syrup,'' said another official of the consumer organisation.

A Bikano Sweets spokesperson, who was not willing to be quoted, told TOI: ``We cannot comment on the report without knowing the details. Our products are up to the mark.'' A sales manager at Kaleva sweets at Gole Market said they maintained the best hygienic standards. ``We are very careful about the quality. I do no know about the reports,'' he said. Officials of the other rasgulla brands could not be contacted despite efforts.

CLICK FOR SOURCE

Keep a watch on misleading advertisements

Print media and TV are always full of advertisemnts. Many times the adverisers go overboard in their claims and their advertisements run the risk of being considered false, misleading, indecent, illegal, leading to unsafe practices, or unfair to competition. Consumers are having an increasing disbelief in advertising and the resentment is growing against sech advertisements. Many consumers want to complain but wonder where they should make the complaint. Let me give you some information on this.

Advertising Standards Council of India is a self regulatory voluntary organization of the advertising industry. It keeps a close watch on advertisements which are considered false, misleading, indecent, illegal, leading to unsafe practices, or unfair to competition. ASCI has adopted a Code for Self-Regulation in Advertising (CLICK to read in ENGLISH or in HINDI. It is a commitment to honest advertising and to fair competition in the market-place. It stands for the protection of the legitimate interests of consumers and all concerned with advertising - advertisers, media, advertising agencies and others who help in the creation or placement of advertisements.

Whenever a consumer feels agrieved of an advertisement he or she can make a complaint to ASCI.

ASCI has launched an e-magazine ASCI EZINE on September 9th 2010. Click here for the inaugural issue

So dear consumers, keep a wath on advertisements and complain if you feel bad about it. In case, you are short of time, bring that ad to the notice of this blog, and we will file the complaint (scg.rti@gmail.com).

शहद में एंटीबायोटिक्स होना गैरकानूनी है

मैंने पिछले महीने इस ब्लॉग पर एक पोस्ट लिखी थी - शहद खाने में भी खतरा है. पढने के लिए क्लिक करें.

सरकार ने अब एक सलाहकारी जारी की है जिसके अनुसार शहद में एंटीबायोटिक्स और कीटनाशक अवशिष्ट का होना गैरकानूनी है. पढने के लिए क्लिक करें.
शहद एक ऐसा मीठा प्राक्रतिक पदार्थ है जिसे मधुमक्खियाँ फूलों के पराग (रस) या पौधों के स्राव से तैयार करती हैं.
शहद का रंग हलके से गहरा भूरा हो सकता है.
आँख से देखने पर शहद में कोई भी गंदगी नहीं नजर आनी चाहिए, जैसे मधुमक्खियों के मोम का टुकड़ा, मधुमक्खियों के शरीर का कोई हिस्सा, कोई कीड़ा-मकोड़ा, धूल, झाग, फफूंद या कोई और असम्बद्ध पदार्थ.
एक महत्वपूर्ण बात यह है कि किसी खाद्दय पदार्थ पर, जो देखने में शहद जैसा लगता हो पर शुद्ध शहद न हो, शहद का लेबल नहीं लगाया जा सकता.

सरकार ने यह सलाहकारी तो जारी कर दी, पर यह मानक तो बहुत पहले से हैं, लेकिन शहद में एंटीबायोटिक्स फिर भी पाए गए. इसका अर्थ यही है कि सरकारी नियंत्रण कमजोर है, और सम्बंधित अधिकारी अपनी जिम्मेदारी ठीक से नहीं निभा रहे हैं.

सरकार और संबंधित विभाग और विभागीय अधिकारियों को ग्राहकों के प्रति अपनी जिम्मेदारी पूरी ईमानदारी और निष्ठां के साथ निभानी चाहिए.

पीएफए एक्ट और रूल्स के लिए क्लिक करें.

शहद की ग्रेडिंग एवं मार्किंग रूल्स के लिए क्लिक करें.

Consumers health & Safety at risk - DJB violates safety & noise pollution norms

Delhi Jal Board (DJB) provides water and associated services to the citizens of Delhi. All the citizens of Delhi are consumers of DJB services. As a consumer, are you satisfied with the services of DJB? My answer is NO and I and I am sure that your answer will also be NO. Neither the quality of water supplied by DJB is good nor the associated services. It is hazardous to the health of citizens. But as it has a monopoly on water supply, citizens of Delhi are forced to use its services.

Through this post I want to show you, how DJB violates its own safety norms and noise pollution law, thus exposing Delhi citizens to yet another safety hazard. See the photos of a project under execution in Paschim Puri in West Delhi.

DJB Safety Guidelines

Caution, Men at Work

Violation of Noise Pollution Law – using DG Set without acoustic enclosure

Violating safety norms – electric switchgear is lying on the road side with loose wires exposing passers by to safety hazard

IDA and Product Certification

Consumers use various dental products, such as, mouthwash, toothpaste etc, for personal dental care and hygiene. They must have noticed that many of these products display the logo of IDA, Indian Dental Association (see photo). Use of this IDA logo is technically known as Third Party Certification. Here IDA is Third Party and use of its logo on the product gives an assurance from IDA about the quality (safety and efficacy) of the dental product. IDA calls it "IDA Seal".

To understand it better - consumers must have seen ISI Mark on various products. ISI Mark is the Product Certification mark of India's National Standards Body, Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), which operates a Product Certification Scheme under an Act of Parliament, BIS Act, and Rules and Regulation made under it. BIS is operating this scheme for last more than 55 years. Under this scheme, BIS is the Third Party and gives an assurance that any product having this ISI mark is meeting requirements of the Indian Standard, number of which is printed above the ISI mark. This scheme has a very elaborate procedure for ensuring the quality of the products. For knowing details of the BIS Scheme CLICK here.

I have visited the website of IDA and studied the information given about IDA Seal. The IDA scheme is missing many important elements of an ideal third-party product certification scheme. It is based on the information and data provided by the manufacturerer. IDA on its own does not carry out any inspection and testing before granting IDA seal to the manufacturer and also during the operative period of three years for which IDA seal is granted. These inspections and testing are vital to any third party certification, and without them any product certification scheme has no real value. Certification of quality of dental products by IDA under this scheme can not be said to be of any real value to the consumer. It does even inform the consumer against which standard the certification has been granted. In absence of this information, consumer interests are not protected.

In my opinion, the IDA Seal on any dental product is misleading. IDA should consider withdrawing this scheme or improve it to conform to the guidelines framed by ISO for Product Certification Scheme.

Protect yourself from misleading advertisements

Click on the image to read how some product/service providers mislead you in to buying their products/services and make you repent later. It is your hard earned money. Before you part with it, you should very carefully read the advertisement, especially if it says 'conditions apply'.

Normally these conditions are not printed in the advertisement. You will have to especially ask for them. In almost all cases, the conditions are anti-consumer and includes conditions which are loaded in favour of product/service provider, and will put you to lot of inconvenience and loss of money. The product/service, which you think has come at a lower price, may in reality be very costly and of sub-standard quality.

So, dear consumers protect yourself from such misleading advertisements. Be catious. कहते हैं कि सावधानी में ही सुरक्षा है.