Tag: General knowlege

Consumer Rights and Responsibilities

 In the highly competitive and profit-driven business world, Consumer Rights play a key role to protect them from any kind of unfair trade practices. It also protects the consumers from the unsafe or dangerous products that can harm their health and well-being. The Consumer Protection Act of 1986 aims to give consumers rights to fight any injustice. The Act has gone through some changes over the years, the latest change took place in 2019. 

The Consumer Protection act aims to provide easy compensation to those affected by any injustice, and encourages the consumers to speak up and take action against it. It covers all the goods and services by all the public, private and cooperatives, except some exempted by the government. The Act promotes settlement of consumer disputes. 

What are Consumer Rights ?

Right to safety: It provides the consumers safety against goods that are hazardous and have the potential to affect life and property. Consumers should emphasize on the quality and safety factors of the product before buying it. Quality marked products such as ISI, AGMARK, etc. should be prefered. 

Right to be Informed: It consists of the right of the consumers to be informed about the quality, purity, standard, and price of the goods properly. Before deciding to buy, the consumers must consider knowing all of this information related to the product. 

Right to Choose: This includes the rights to access the variety of goods and services at competitive prices, wherever it is possible. With the case of monopoly markets, it refers to the right to be assured of good quality at a fair price. 

Rights to Consumer Education: It includes the rights of the consumer to gain the knowledge and become an informed consumer. It is extremely important to be informed, because most of the exploitation takes place with the advantage of lack of awareness and ignorance among the consumers. 

Right to be Heard: This means that consumers have the right to raise or represent their concern and interests at various consumer forums to ensure their welfare. The consumer’s interests will be given due consideration under this right. 

Right to seek Redressal: It is one of the most important rights of a consumer to seek redressal against any unfair trade practice experienced by them. It can help them to have a fair settlement or get the required compensation. They can also take the help of the consumer organisations in the process of seeking redressal. 

In case of any trouble or injustice, the consumers can file a complaint within two years of buying the product. The details of the problem should be mentioned in the complaint along with relevant bills and receipts attached to it. The written complaint should be submitted to the consumer forum for further action. 

As a consumer, it is our duty to be aware about the rights and responsibilities before buying a product or service, in order to avoid any injustice or exploitation.


International Youth Day

 Nelson Mandela once said “The youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow”. August 12th is celebrated as the International Youth Day. The Youth Day was declared by the UN in 1999, to recognise and shed some light upon  the issues faced by the youth of different countries. 

International Youth Day is celebrated with the help of awareness campaigns, community concerts and events in the youth club, etc. to bring into attention the difficulties faced by the youth. The UN decides a theme for Youth Day every year. “Transforming Food Systems: Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health” is the theme for this year. According to the UN, it aims to highlight the need for “inclusive support mechanisms that ensure that the youth continue to amplify efforts collectively and individually to restore the planet and protect life while integrating biodiversity in the transformation of the food system.”

The theme also includes discussion around the topics of poverty reduction, social inclusion, health care, biodiversity conservation and climate change. The ECOSOC Youth Forum highlighted the concerns of youth regarding the impact of Covid-19 pandemic. They emphasized the need for a more equitable food system and awareness about the healthiest and sustainable food options. The Youth Lead Innovation festival will be held to encourage the fresh and innovative approach of youth to find solutions to the ongoing problems. This year, events for the Youth Day will be held virtually. 


Problems faced by the Youth

The youth has always been an active part of the society. India has the highest youth population in the world. As per the Census of 2011, one-fifth of the population in India is its youth population. The youth have been a helping hand in the tough times of Pandemic, especially for those from the vulnerable age group. But the pandemic has affected the youth in terms of education and employment. 

The number of young people involved in the field of education or training and employment has gone down in the last fifteen years. Right now, 30% women and 13% male are not involved in these activities. In this highly competitive world, lack of job and educational opportunities is a major problem. Frustration and chaos builds up in their minds when they remain idle. It is extremely important to utilize their energy for the betterment. Training in skill based or vocational courses should be provided. Skills such as Leadership, Communication, Scientific Temperament should be developed among the youngsters. 

Youth is filled with immense energy and ambitions which should not be wasted. The youth of a country plays a key role in building a better future. Therefore it is important to provide them proper education and opportunities, so that they can pave the way for development.


THE UNION GOVERNMENT

 THE UNION  GOVERNMENT

Know the powers and responsibilities of the Government, as one should know the system of governance both at the Union and state level.

The constitution of India provides for a parliamentary form of the Government under an elected President. it has three wings,

THE LEGISLATURE

THE EXECUTIVE

THE JUDICIARY

UNION LEGISLATURE

The parliament represents the union legislature which consists of the Upper houses called a council of states or Rajya Sabha and the lower house called  of people or Lok Sabha.

LOK SABHA

The Lok Sabha is the important house of the Inidan Parliament and contains elected representatives of the people. There are about 543 elected members out of which 530 are elected from the states and 13 members from the Union territories. The President generally nominates 2 members from the Union Territories. At total 545 members.

The Lok Sabha enjoys a term of five years from the date of its date session. Universal Adult Franchise is followed while electing the members of Lok Sabha. All Indian citizens above 18 years of age who are registered as voters will vote for their representatives. Money bills can be introduced only in Lok Sabha. It is processed over the speaker in case of absence of the speaker, the deputy speaker elected by the members of the house presides over the session.

RAJYA SABHA

The council of states or Rajya Sabha consists of 250 members out of which 238 represent states and the Union territories, elected by the method of indirect election. 12 members are chosen by the President by the special knowledge of the practical experiences in the field of literature, science, art or social science.

the members are elected for 6 years and one third of the members of Rajya Sabha are elected atleast for every two years. The Vice President of India is the EX- OFFICIO Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha. 

PRESIDENT OF INDIA

According to the Indian Constitution, the President of India is the head of the Indian Republic or the state. The President is also the Constitutional head of the Union Legislature and the Union Executive. According to the Article 53 of the constitution the executive power of the Union shall be exercised by him directly or through the officers subordinates to him in accordance with the Constitution.

VICE PRESIDENT OF INDIA

Article 63of the Constitution provides flr Vice Presidnt. This office has been created to maintai political continuty to the state. He exercises the executive power of the Union as of when the President is unable due to some reasons.

PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA

The post of Prime Minister first originated in England and borrowed from there by makers of our constitution. The Prime Minister allocates port folios to other ministers and monitors their functions. He/she is the chairperson of all highest central commisions like the Planning commission the finance commission and national Integration Council.

THE JUDICIARY

our Constituion provides for the establishment of an independent and integrated judiciary with the Supreme court as it is the highest court in the coutry. the Chief Justice is appointed by the President of India. Age limit is upto 65 years. To be a judege in Supreme cout he/she should have worked as a advocate of a high court for atleast 10 years. 

CONCLUSION

Even though all the three wings are independent organs, they cannot beyond ther wings of limit in the administration. The Constiution safegaurds each and evey citizen by the powers they have  and its our duty to know the powers of the Government.

Puri: First city in India with "Drink-from-Tap" facility

 Puri, located in Odisha, became the first Indian city with 24×7 clean drinking water from tap facility. The “Drink from Tap Project” was inaugurated on 2nd August 2021. The drink from tap facility has been initiated by the Water Corporation of Odisha under the “Sujal” scheme. While inaugurating the project the CM of Odisha claimed that this project will enable the people of Puri to collect water directly from the tap and it would not be necessary to store or filter it further for the purpose of drinking. 

Drink-from-Tap Project

Under the Sujal scheme, the water is taken from the Bhargavi river and then it is channelised to a reservoir. The water is then sent to Samang for water treatment procedures like purification and chlorination. 

Sujal scheme aims to provide clean drinking water from taps to nearly 1.5 million people in 15 towns of Odisha by 2023.  Puri’s water requirement is around 32-34 million litres per day and the plants have been claimed to purify around 42 million litres of water each day. 

The “Drink from Tap” project is said to benefit the 2.5 lakh residents of Puri. As Puri is known as the holy town of Odisha, it would also benefit the 2 crore tourists who visit Puri. Another impact is that it can reduce the number of plastic bottles bought, mostly by tourists. It can drastically reduce the disposal of plastic waste. People can directly consume the water from the 400 fountains installed in the city. 

But it is also important to maintain stringent rules on the quality of water supplied. Contaminated water can pave the way to a number of diseases. Constant monitoring of the water quality is essential. The scheme is in its initial stage and it is imperative to maintain the availability and purity of water in the long run. 

Clean drinking water in India

According to the UNICEF reports, less than half of the people in India have access to safe drinking water. Harmful chemicals such as Arsenic and Fluoride are found in 1.96 million dwellings.  The report also indicates another major concern, that is unavailability of water in many areas. 

School attendance decreases in the areas where children are sent to collect water. They spend hours collecting water which affects their education. In the drought hit states, a 22% rise in school drop out rates was recorded. 

Therefore it is important to ensure the availability of clean drinking water to the people. Safe drinking water is a fundamental aspect of public health.


Assam & Mizoram Conflict

India is the tenth-largest country by land. Carved out of 565 princely states & 17 provinces at the time of Independence, which were just 14 states and 6 union territories.
With time number of states has grown to
28 states and 8 Union territories.
All the states have some issues in between one such issue which raised the eyebrows is the ‘conflict between Assam & Mizoram’.
Carved out of Assam in 1972 as a union territory, Mizoram gained its complete statehood in 1987.
The states have a dispute over a border of 164.6 km. 

Claims-

Mizoram stands by an 1875 notification, which came from ‘The Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation Act of 1873’.
Whereas, Assam claims the land as per ‘1933 notification by the state government that demarcates Lushai Hills’.
During Colonial time Lushai was known as Mizoram.
These borders change with natural obstacles like rivers, forests, etc. Often people living on one side of the land cross it as they are unaware of the border demarcation.
Other Land Disputes in Indian states-
• Belagavi Dispute between Karnataka and Maharashtra.
• Assam & Nagaland dispute.
• Gujarat & Rajasthan dispute over Mangadh Hill.
• Himachal dispute with Haryana over Parwanoo region.
• Himachal dispute with Ladakh over claim on Sarchu.