Student clubs & magic shows as tools to spread awareness on consumer rights

Malda: The Consumer Affairs department, Malda has created consumer clubs in 42 schools of the district. The department has plans to engage school students to spread awareness and save customers from being cheated.

Efforts are being made to spread awareness through the members and students of these clubs. In addition to this, various competitions have been organised throughout the district. Recently, a district-level competition was held in the meeting room of the District Industrial Center (DIC) where about 70 winners of the school level competition of these 42 consumer clubs participated in the district-level competition on essay writing on consumer protection.

Many people do not know how to lodge complaints with the Consumer Affairs department. Subsequently, officials of the department have decided to ask the students to impart knowledge on this. There are about 50 students in each of these clubs in schools under a nodal teacher of that institution. Magic or puppet shows are being used as tools to make the students aware of consumer rights.

Sanjay Pramanik, assistant director of the Consumer Affairs and Fair Business Policy department, Malda, said: “On December 24, National Consumer Day and March 15 being the International Consumer Day, awareness camps are conducted with the members of these consumer clubs. If students can be made aware, they will be able to pass on the message effectively among family and friends.”