Consumer clubs: State to double number of schools and financial assistance

Kolkata: The state government has decided to double the number of schools in which students will be forming consumer clubs to make common people aware about protection of consumers' rights.

The state Consumer Affairs department is going to provide assistance to 840 schools across the state in this financial year. The number was around 400 last year.

Under the project, the state government provides financial assistance to schools to form Consumer Clubs comprising its students and headed by the headmaster or assistant headmaster of the school.

Students, who are selected as members of the club, take up different activities round the year in their schools and surroundings to make others aware of different consumer rights and how to be alert to avoid getting cheated while buying anything.

The state government provides financial assistance to the consumer clubs in the schools to undertake the activities.

According to an official of the state Consumer Affairs department, this is the first time when the department has also decided to double the financial assistance.

In 2016-17 financial year, each of the clubs in 400 schools had received financial assistance of Rs 10,000.

In this fiscal it has been decided to give Rs 20,000 to each of the school. The total amount will be given in two phases of Rs 10,000 each.

The official said: "The decision to set up consumer clubs in more schools and to increase the financial assistance has been taken after last year's effort of the clubs in around 400 schools proved to be fruitful in creating awareness through various activities."

Members of the clubs take up activities including

poster making and slogan

writing competitions in which hundreds of students get involved.

"Hundreds of children get involved in activities when it is organised in their schools and carry forward the messages to their parents and other family members.

"This is how students can easily create awareness among a large scale of people in the society. So the decision to open Consumer Clubs in more schools has been taken," the official said.

It may be mentioned that the state Consumer Affairs department take a series of projects round the year to create awareness among people. Every year the state-level Consumer Affairs Fairs get organised in the city. In districts too several initiatives are taken

to create awareness that remained "a neglected area during the Left Front regime", the official said.