Month: September 2012

Right Choice – Consumer Magazine

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Right Choice is set up by Which?, publisher of the 50 year old, well respected magazine brand Which? besides a range of other titles that cover holidays, cars, finance, etc. Which? is also consumer organisation, campaigning for the rights of consumers and fighting for their causes.

Right Choice, the Indian magazine is bringing to the Indian market a full fledged consumer offering that is independent and rigorous. As the Indian market develops and grows and the consumer has an ever increasing variety of goods and services, we believe we can help you navigate the complex set of choices with advice that is authoritative and independent.

Independence is central to our consumer promise as we accept no advertising and carrier no commercial content from providers of goods and services either directly or indirectly.

Click Here for the website

 

 

Supreme Court Order: Sahara unmasked

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Regulatory Inaction
Until SEBI acted on Roshan Lal’s complaint to go after Sahara’s humongous, non-transparent fund-raising, every regulator had fallen silent after a cursory investigation. Court documents show that the massive Rs17,400 crore raised by Sahara India Real Estate Corporation and Sahara Housing Investment Corporation (Saharas) was coolly being funnelled into M/s Sahara India—a registered partnership firm of the promoters. Did our tax sleuths investigate how this large sum was deployed? Isn’t it curious that the Sahara Pariwar does not figure among India’s highest taxpayers, but its advertisement titled “Emotionally Speaking” claims that the Income Tax department is holding back a massive Rs2,000 crore in refunds? Is this even true?

Why don’t government watchdogs bark about Sahara? This too came out in the litigation, in a very positive way. A strong affidavit by Sanjay Shorey, joint director in the ministry of corporate affairs (MCA), exposed how Sahara had been manipulating the ROC, Kanpur, to back its dubious claims through sworn affidavits before the Allahabad high court. MCA’s affidavit, which Arvind Datar considers a turning point in the case, backed SEBI’s action to the hilt and strongly refuted its own ROC’s claims.

Silencing the Media
With the media spewing information about bigger scams (coal, iron ore, telecom) everyday, it seems contradictory to say that they are reticent about Sahara. So how does one explain the fact that no television channel debated the path-breaking SC judgement? Sahara’s belligerent full-page advertisements in the press and lavish commercials are a large enough source of revenue to silence many media houses. The galaxy of top lawyers hired to defend its bizarre claims and audacious obfuscation even before the apex court and limitless funds for litigation are other deterrents. That is probably why mainstream media have never questioned Sahara’s endless money supply.

Click Here for the full story in MoneyLife

 

Co-operative Societies cannot ban pets

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According to animal activists, pet owners encountering hurdles on this ground to rent an apartment have the country’s laws on their side. Manoj Oswal, animal welfare officer at the Animal Welfare Board of India, says: “The Animal Welfare Board has handled around 150 such cases in Pune in the last few years, where people have come to us with requests to intervene when their societies banned pets.

According to state laws, such as the Maharashtra Cooperative Housing Societies Act. there are absolutely no provisions for banning pets. A society by-law banning pets will not hold against national and state laws. In 90 per cent cases, we point this out to the society members and they immediately withdraw the ban.”

Click Here for the full story in the Indian Express

Consumer Action

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File Consumer Complaint, Consumer court address, Fearless action against corruption

International Consumer Rights Protection Council is a registered NGO that helps and guides grieved consumers to handle their consumer complaint. We do not have branches but connected through the internet to every nook and corner of this world..

The ICRPC website is a detailed one which gives lots of information for the consumer to take up his own case. Click here for the CONTENTS of their website

 

GET PROCEDURE FOR FILING COMPLAINT WITH ICRPC

ADDRESS OF CONSUMER COURTS

COURT FEE

CONSUMER RIGHTS

 CONSUMER COURT RTI

TIME LIMIT FOR FILING CASE IN CONSUMER COURT

 

Consumer Advice Network

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What is Consumer Advice Network ?

Consumer Advice Network links consumer advice centers (CAC), State Consumer Help lines and voluntary consumer organizations located in different states. Presently services are available in seven states viz., Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Tamil Nadu and will be started in other states soon. We at CAC provide pre-purchase information, post-purchase advice and also offer “next-step advice” for resolution or redress.

Our intent is to make the consumers be aware of their rights to:-Safety, Choose, Be Heard, Redressal & Consumer Education

We also aim to sensitize the consumers of their responsibilities of being: – Critically Aware, Involved, Organized, Responsible towards the Environment and Practicing Sustainable Consumption.

Click Here for the website

Consumer Handbook

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Consumer Handbook (India Diary) is a very interesting write-up in pdf format. The Table of Contents includes the following :

YOU, THE CONSUMER

Who is a consumer?
Why should consumers be protected?
What are your rights & responsibilities as a consumer?
What are Unfair Trade Practices?
How to be a smart consumer?
In case of a problem …
CONSUMER vs. PRODUCTS & SERVICES
The products you buy
The food you eat
Shopping for clothes
Gadgets and gizmos devices
All that glitters…
Currency county – your money in the bank
Are you insured?
Telecommunications
Health is Wealth
Public Distribution System
Dispatch riders
Going where you want to go
The POWER corridor
Real Estate – your house
Elixir and essentials of life
Things to know while you are on the Internet

BEING ECO-FRIENDLY CONSUMERS
DISPUTE RESOLUTION
RIGHT TO INFORMATION ACT

Click Here to view / download the PDF file

BMC official fined Rs. 25,000 for flouting RTI act

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In a rare order that boosts the spirit of the Right to Information Act, 2005, the state chief information commissioner (SCIC) Ratnakar Gaikwad has fined an official of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Rs. 25,000 for refusing to reveal information under the act for nearly two years now.

This is the highest fine that can be imposed on an errant government official who refuses to reveal information, under the act.

Click Here for more details