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NIOS Class 10 Business Studies Chapter 18 Consumer Protection
Also, you can read the NIOS book online in these sections Solutions by Expert Teachers as per National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) Book guidelines. These solutions are part of NIOS All Subject Solutions. Here we have given NIOS Class 10 Business Studies Chapter 18 Consumer Protection Solutions, NIOS Secondary Course Business Studies Solutions for All Chapter, You can practice these here.
Consumer Protection
Chapter: 18
NIOS TEXTBOOK QUESTIONS ANSWERS
Intext Questions 18.1
Which of the following statements are true and which are false?
(i) Adulteration does not always mean mixing poisonous materials with the goods on sale.
Ans:- True.
(ii) Tie-in-sales involve selling two items at the same price.
Ans:- False.
(iii) A false representation about the quality of a product in an advertisement is a misleading advertisement.
Ans:- True.
(iv) Black marketing means selling goods at the dead of night.
Ans:- False.
(v) Consumer protection is a movement to safeguard the interest of consumers.
Ans:- True.
Intext Questions 18.2
Fill in the blanks choosing the appropriate words given within brackets:
(i) My neighbour always goes to the nearest shop to buy electrical goods because it is his basic right to _________ (check the price, choose, check the quality).
Ans:- Choose.
(ii) Young boys eat lot of processed food available in packets as they do not know that such food is bad for health and because they are not aware of their right to _______________ (reject bad food, get advice from others, information).
Ans:- Information.
(iii) Some consumers prefer to pay high price for goods as they believe that it indicates ________ (that they are rich, that the shopkeeper charges fair price, that the goods are of superior quality).
Ans:- That the goods are of superior quality.
(iv) When you buy a product with a new brand name on the basis of an advertisement claiming best quality and then find it defective, it is a case of _________advertisement. (good, untrue, misleading).
Ans:- Misleading.
Intext Questions 18.3
State which of the following statements are true and which are false?
(i) Nothing can be done by businessmen to protect the interest of consumers.
Ans:- False.
(ii) Government is indifferent towards safeguarding consumer interest.
Ans:- False.
(iii) Consumer associations should be invited to send their representatives to official bodies to hear consumer viewpoints on their problems.
Ans:- True.
(iv) It is not enough to be aware of basic rights, consumers must assert the rights.
Ans:- True.
(v) Consumers should not attend any training programme arranged by the local consumer association.
Ans:- False.
Intext Questions 18.4
Which of the following statements are true and which are false?
(i) The Prevention of Food Adulteration Act provides for severe punishment if food items are found to have been adulterated by any person.
Ans:- True.
(ii) The Standards of Weights and Measures Act prescribes standard weights and measures to be used in different localities.
Ans:- False.
(iii) Consumers associations cannot file complaints before the MRTP commission on behalf of consumers, only individual consumers can do so on their own behalf.
Ans:- False.
(iv) The Essential Commodities Act controls the production and distribution of certain goods.
Ans:- True.
(v) Consumer protection councils have been established at the centre and the states under the Consumer Protection Act.
Ans:- True.
(vi) The Bureau of Indian Standards formulates quality standards for goods and permits quality certification marks to be used by producers.
Ans:- True.
(vii) The Government has power to declare any commodity as essential in the public interest.
Ans:- True.
Intext Questions 18.5
I. Fill in the blanks with the suitable words chosen from those given within brackets:
(i) The District forum can deal with complaints which involve value of goods and compensation amounting to not more than _________. ( Rs. 5 lakhs, Rs. 20 lakhs, Rs. 1 Crore)
Ans:- Rs 20 lakh.
(ii) When a complaint is submitted before the District forum that requires testing of the product, the case is to be decided within a period of ________ ( 3 months, 4 months, 5 months)
Ans:- 5 months.
(iii) The National Commission has the jurisdiction of dealing with complaints involving value of goods above _______ ( Rs. 20 lakhs, Rs. 50 lakhs, Rs. One crore)
Ans:- Rs One crore.
(iv) An appeal against the order of State Commissions can be filed before the _____________ ( Supreme Court, High Court, National Commission).
Ans:- National Commission.
(v) State Commission can deal with cases involving value to goods/ compensation not exceeding _______. ( Rs. 20 lakhs, Rs 50 lakhs, Rs. One crore)
Ans:- Rs One crore.
II. Which of the following statements are right and which are wrong?
(i) A consumer’s complaint can be filed only by the consumer himself/herself.
Ans:- Wrong.
(ii) There is no need to give any fee for filing a complaint before the District forum.
Ans:- Right.
(iii) A complaint may be submitted personally or sent by post.
Ans:- Right.
(iv) The complaint has to be filed within one year from the date on which the cause of action arose.
Ans:- Wrong.
(v) For a complaint relating to deficiency of telephone service, the relief sought may include removal of deficiency, restoration of the service, refund or adjustment of excess charge paid, as well as compensation for loss.
Ans:- Right.
(vi) The complaint to be filed must be signed by the consumer or his authorised agent.
Ans:- Right.
Intext Questions 18.6
I. Which of the following statements are true and which are false?
(i) NGOs are non-profit organisations.
Ans:- True.
(ii) Government rules and regulations generally govern the functioning of NGOs.
Ans:- False.
(iii) Seminars, workshops and training programmes held by NGOs involved in the consumer movement are aimed at consumer education.
Ans:- True.
(iv) The NGOs exercise the right to be heard through the policy making and administrative bodies of the Government.
Ans:- True.
(v) The recommendations made by consumer organisations are considered by Government while amending relevant laws.
Ans:- True.
II.
| Multiple Choice Questions |
(i) Which are is not a problem faced by consumers?
(a) Adulteration.
(b) Sale of spurious products.
(c) Hoardings and black Marketing.
(d) Only one quality of products.
Ans:- (d) Only one quality of products.
(ii) Consumers are unable to make use of their rights due to lack of
(a) Awareness and ignorance.
(b) Funds.
(c) Education.
(d) Coverage.
Ans:- (b) Funds.
(iii) BIS means
(a) Bureau of Industrial Standards.
(b) Bureau of Indian Standards.
(c) Bureau of Internal Standards.
(d) Bureau of Institution Standards.
Ans:- (b) Bureau of Indian Standards.
(iv) Consumer courts does not includes
(a) District Forum.
(b) State Commission.
(c) National Commission.
(d) Supreme Court.
Ans:- (d) Supreme Court.
(v) The district forum has the jurisdiction to deal with all complaints where the value of the goods or services or the compensation claimed does not exceed.
(a) Rs. 10 lakh.
(b) Rs. 20 lakhs.
(c) Rs. 1 lakh.
(d) Rs. 1 Crore.
Ans:- (b) Rs. 20 lakhs.
| Terminal Exercise |
1. What is meant by consumer protection?
Ans:- Consumer protection refers to the steps necessary to be taken or measures required to be accepted to protect consumers from business malpractices. It may be regarded as a movement like consumerism.
2. Why should consumers be protected?
Ans:- Consumers protection is necessary to be taken or measures required to be accepted to protect consumers from business malpractices. It may be regarded as a movement like consumerism. This is necessary primarily because businessmen aim at maximising profits and this is often done at the expense of consumers.
3. Describe the various problems faced by consumers in their daily life?
Ans:- The various problems faced by consumers in their daily life are discussed below:
(i) Adulteration, that is, adding something inferior to the product being sold. This is a practice we come across in the case of cereals, spices, tea leaves, edible oil, petrol, etc.
(ii) Sale of spurious products, that is, selling something of no value instead of the real product. This is often found in the case of medicines and drugs or health care products.
(iii) Use of false weights and measures is another malpractice which some traders adopt while selling the goods. Goods which are sold by weight (kg.) like vegetables, cereals, sugar, etc., those sold by measures (metre) like textile fabrics, suit pieces, are sometimes found to be less than the actual weight or length.
(iv) Sale of duplicates, that is, goods that indicates a mark which shown it is of superior quality than what it actually is. For example, goods which are locally made, are sold at a higher price as imported items expected to be of superior quality.
(v) Hoarding and black-marketing is another problem that consumer often face. When any essential commodity is not made available in the open market and stocks are intentionally held back by dealers it is known as hoarding. Its purpose is to create an artificial scarcity, to push up the prices.
(vi) Tie-in-Sales: Buyers of durable consumer goods are sometimes required to buy some other goods as a pre-condition to sale or may be required to pay after-sales service charges for one year in advance. You may have heard about tying up of new gas connections with the sale of gas stoves (burners).
(vii) Offering gifts having no additional value, or coupons to collect a gift on the next purchase of some product are practices aimed at alluring consumers to buy a product. Often gifts are offered after the price of the product on sale has been increased.
(viii) Misleading advertisement is yet another practice by which consumers are deceived. Such advertisements falsely represent a product or service to be of superior quality, grade or standard, or falsely asserts the need for or usefulness of a product or service.
(ix) Sale of sub-standard goods i.e., sale of goods which do not conform to prescribed quality standard particularly for safety. Such products include pressure cookers, stoves, electric gadgets (heaters, toasters, etc.), and cooking gas cylinders.
4. Name the parties involved in consumer protection. Explain their role in protecting the interests of the consumers.
Ans:- The parties involved in consumer protection are:
(a) Consumers.
(b) Businessmen. and
(c) Government.
The following protection each of the parties can do:
(a) Self-help is the best help, So consumers should, as far as possible, take care of their own interest and protect themselves from market malpractices. For this purpose, it is necessary that they should try to know about their rights and exercise them. They should not depend on the good sense of businessmen.
(b) As regards businessmen, it is expected that producers, distributors, dealers, wholesalers as well as retailers should pay due regard to consumer rights in their own interest. They should ensure supply of quality goods and services at reasonable prices. To prevent unfair practices, associations of traders, chambers of commerce and industry, and manufacturers’ associations should entertain consumer complaints against their members and take proper action against those guilty of malpractice.
(c) For the Government, consumer protection is a responsibility to be undertaken in the general interest of society. Enforcement of various laws and amending existing laws to protect consumer interests are required to be taken up in the light of viewpoints of consumer associations.
5. Enumerate the various Acts passed by the Government for protection of consumer’s interest.
Ans:- The various Acts passed by the government for protection of consumer’s interest are as follow:
(i) Agricultural Products (Grading and Marketing) Act, 1937: This Act provides for grading and certifying quality standards of agricultural commodities which are allowed to be stamped with AGMARK seal of the Agricultural marketing department of the Government.
(ii) Industries (Development and Regulation) Act, 1951: This Act provides for control over production and distribution of manufactured goods. According to this Act, the Central Government may order investigation of any industry, if it is of the opinion that there has been substantial fall in the volume of production, or a marked decline in the quality of a product, or any unreasonable rise in price.
(iii) Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954: This Act provides for severe punishment for adulteration of food articles. In the case of sale of adulterated food which is injurious to health and likely to cause death, life imprisonment with a minimum fine of Rs 3000 may be payable.
(iv) Essential Commodities Act, 1955: Under this Act, the Government has power to declare any commodity as essential in the public interest. Thereby the Government can control the production, supply and distribution of the trading of such commodities.
(v) The Standards of Weights and Measures Act, 1956: This Act provides for the use of standard weights and standard measures of length throughout the country. ‘Metre’ has been specified as the primary unit for measuring length, and ‘kilogram’ as the primary unit for measuring weight.
(vi) Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Act, 1969: Under the provisions of this Act, as amended in 1983 and 1984, consumers and consumer groups can exercise their right of redressal by filing complaints relating to restrictive and unfair trade practices.
(vii) Prevention of Black-marketing and Maintenance of Essential Supplies Act, 1980: The primary objective of this act is to provide for detention of persons with a view to prevention of black-marketing and maintenance of supplies of commodities essential to the community.
(viii) Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986: The Bureau of Indian Standards has been set up under this Act, replacing the Indian Standards Institution (ISI), to protect and promote consumer interest. It has two major activities: formulation of quality standards for goods and their certification through the BIS certification marks scheme by which manufacturers are permitted to use the standardisation mark (ISI) on their products after due verification of conformity with prescribed quality standards of safety and performance.
(ix) Consumer Protection Act, 1986: This Act provides for consumer protection more comprehensively than any other law. Consumers can seek legal remedy for a wide range of unfair practices not only with respect to goods but also for deficiency in services like banking, insurance , financing, transport, telephone, supply of electricity or other energy, housing, boarding & lodging, entertainment, amusement, etc.
6. What information is required to be filed before the consumer courts while filing any complaint?
Ans:- There is a nominal fee charged for filing a complaint. The complaint may be filed by the complainant or his/her authorised agent in person, or it may be sent by post. Five copies of the complaint are generally required to be filed along with the following information.
(i) Name, description and address of the complainant.
(ii) Name, description and address of the opposite party or parties, as the case may be.
(iii) Facts relating to the complaint and when and where it arose.
(iv) Documents, if any, in support of the allegations contained in the complaint (like cash memo, receipt, etc.)
(v) The nature of relief which the complainant is seeking.
7. State the possible relieves which a consumer court may order in favour of consumers.
Ans:- Some possible reliefs that a consumer court may order include:
(i) Refund or replacement: This Bill makes it the right of a consumer to return any purchased product within a stipulated time for genuine reasons. It seeks to provide the consumer a right to return any purchased durable or semi-durable goods within fifteen days of purchase.
(ii) Repair: In cases where a product can be repaired, but the consumer has incurred expenses for the repairs, the court may order the business to reimburse the consumer for the repair costs or provide compensation for the diminished value of the product.
(iii) Compensation: Consumer courts may award monetary compensation to consumers for any financial losses, damages, or inconvenience suffered as a result of the business’s actions or negligence.
(iv) Costs and legal fees: consumer courts may order the losing party to pay the legal costs and attorney fees incurred by the prevailing party in pursuing the case. This helps ensure that consumers are not deterred from seeking redress due to the fear of bearing the costs of litigation.
(v) Corrective actions: (a) Refund the full amount paid by the consumer for the Product/Service.
(b) Pay consumer compensation for the loss and injury suffered. If you fail to take the corrective action within the specified period, consumers will be forced to file a complaint with the appropriate consumer forum.
8. Mention the pecuniary jurisdiction of different consumer courts.
Ans:- The pecuniary jurisdiction of consumer courts, which refers to the monetary limits within which a particular court has authority to adjudicate cases, varies based on the level of the court and the nature of the dispute. In India, the pecuniary jurisdiction of consumer courts is defined under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
Here is a general overview of the pecuniary jurisdiction of different consumer courts in India:
(i) District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (DCDRC).
(ii) State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (SCDRC).
(iii) National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC).
9. Describe the role of Non-Government Organisations in protecting the interest of consumers.
Ans:- The role of Non-Government Organisations in protecting the interest of consumers are:
(i) Create awareness about consumer rights and educate the general public about consumer problems and remedies through seminars, workshops and training programmes.
(ii) Provide legal aid to consumers by way, of assistance in seeking legal remedy.
(iii) Undertake advocacy of consumers’ point of view as representative members of consumer protection councils and others official boards.
(iv) Arrange comparative testing of consumer products through their own testing apparatus or accredited laboratories so as to evaluate the relative qualities of competing brands and publish the test results for the benefit of consumers to become informed buyers.
(v) Publish periodicals and journals to disseminate information among readers about consumer problems, legal reporting and other emerging matters of interest. Most of these periodicals do not accept advertisements from business firms.
(vi) Make suggestions and recommend steps which government authorities should consider in policy making and administrative measures adopted in the interest of consumers.
(vii) Some NGOs have successfully used Public Interest Litigation (PIL) to enforce consumer rights in several cases. In other words, NGOs have filed cases in law courts in the interest of the general public, not for any individual.
10. State the procedure to be followed for redressal of consumer grievances.
Ans:- The complaint may be filed before the District Forum for the district where the cause of action has arisen or where the opposite party resides, or before the State Commission notified by the State Government or the union territory, or it can be filed before the National Commission at New Delhi.
There is a nominal fee charged for filing a complaint. The complaint may be filed by the complainant or his/her authorised agent in person, or it may be sent by post. Five copies of the complaint are generally required to be filed along with the following information.
(i) Name, description and address of the complainant.
(ii) Name, description and address of the opposite party or parties, as the case may be.
(iii) Facts relating to the complaint and when and where it arose.
(iv) Documents, if any, in support of the allegations contained in the complaint (like cash memo, receipt, etc.)
(v) The nature of relief which the complainant is seeking.
The complaint should be signed by the complainant or his/her authorised agent. It has to be addressed to the president of the District Forum or State Commission or National Commission. A complaint is required to be filed within a period of two years from the date on which the cause of action arose.
