The Nagaland Voluntary Consumers’ Organisation (NVCO) has urged all citizens to be aware of their rights as consumers and to exercise their rights this National Consumers’ Day which is observed every year on 24th December. The National Consumers’ Day provides an opportunity for highlighting the importance of the consumer movement and the need to make the consumer more aware of their rights and responsibilities.

National Award recipient for Consumer Protection, Advocate Kezhokhoto Savi and NVCO President has on this occasion appealed to every citizen to remain alert while buying goods and availing services at all times keeping in mind the great slogan “An alert consumer is an asset to the Nation ”.  Savi further encouraged every consumer to take proper care to check weights, read, understand the information provided on the goods, obtain cash memo/ receipt, check the quality and quantity, ISI mark, AGMARK, MRP, etc.

NVCO has said that the practices in our society such as fund-raise by way of selling lottery tickets/raffle draw/muodi/cooked packed food/buffet tickets/calendar, unfair means of practices in weights and measures, selling expiry goods, removal of original price tag like motor parts and students text/exercises books etc., are amounting to consumer rights exploitation. It therefore emphasised the need to create awareness of consumer rights and duties especially in the rural areas.

The Organisation stated that the responsibility of creating awareness on consumers’ rights and duties rests on each citizen also the various government agencies. The State government has to play a vital role for promoting welfare of consumers and protection of their rights, it added.

National Consumers’ Day is observed on 24th December to commemorate the adoption of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986, which is considered as a historic milestone in the consumer movement in the country. Today, the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 has completely replaced the Consumer Protection Act, 1986.