Question

Define the right to choose of the Consumer Protection Act?

Answer 1

Hint: The development of consumer protection laws in India have led to various Central legislative enactments, the main among which is The Consumer Protection Act, 1986. Section 6 of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986, lists six main rights that consumers of goods and services have. These are—the right to be protected against the marketing of goods and services which are hazardous to life and property; the right to be informed about the quality, quantity, potency, purity, standard and price of the goods or services; the right to be assured access to a variety of goods and services at competitive prices; the right to seek redressal against unfair trade practices or unscrupulous exploitation of consumers; and the right to consumer education.

Complete step by step solution:
Right to choose under the Consumer Protection Act stands for the right to assured access to a variety of products or services at competitive prices, thus giving the consumers freedom of choice. Competition, invariably, is the best regulator of a marketplace. This can be achieved by promoting competitive markets and prices of goods so that consumers are free to purchase the goods or services they want by comparing prices and other factors. The existence of oligopolies, cartels and monopolies are counterproductive to consumerism.

Note: Legislations regarding consumer protection other than the Consumer Protection Act of 1986 include—the Sale of Goods Act, 1930; the Agricultural Produce Act, 1937; the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940; the Industries Regulation Act, 1951; the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954; the Standards of Weights and Measures Act, 1976; and the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 which replaced the Consumer Protection Act, 1986.