Nagaland Voluntary Consumers’ Organisation strives for ‘smart consumer’ society

Dimapur, March 13 (EMN): Nagaland Voluntary Consumers’ Organisation (NVCO) will celebrate ‘World Consumer Rights Day’ on March 15 at St. Joseph’s College (Autonomous), Jakhama, on the theme ‘Fair digital finance.’

As the organisation observed the day, it urged the citizens to realise the importance of acquiring knowledge of consumer rights and spread to all rural areas to build every citizen “a smart consumer.”

NVCO has been observing the ‘World Consumer Rights Day’ in Nagaland every year by organising a two-week campaign to create awareness on consumer rights. This year, the campaign was officially launched on March 1 at Kohima Law College. The organisation would organise another function at Kohima Law College on March 14.

NVCO president, Kezhokhoto Savi, who is also a recipient of the national award for consumer protection, stated that the day is observed as a consumer movement to raise global awareness on consumer rights, consumer protection and empowerment. He added that the global consumer movement would call for fair digital finance for consumers everywhere.

He further informed that the final year students of Kohima Law College would continue to conduct awareness campaigns even after March 15.

The ‘World Consumer Rights Day’ is observed every year on March 15. The significance of the day was inspired by the USA president, John F Kennedy, who sent a special message to the American Congress on March 15, 1962, in which he formally declared four consumer rights. Subsequently, the International Organisation of Consumers Union (IOCU), now called Consumers International (CI), added other rights namely Right to safety, Right to be informed, Right to choose, Right to be heard, Right to redress, Right to consumer education, Right to a healthy environment, and Right to basic needs.

The ‘World Consumer Rights Day’ was first observed on March 15, 1983. Two years later, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the UN Guidelines for Consumer Protection on April 9, 1985.

Report stated that the ‘World Consumer Rights Day’ in Nagaland was first celebrated at the State Academy Hall in Kohima in the year 1997.