Vijayawada: Consumer Advocacy to create consumer awareness

Vijayawada: Dr PVVS Murthy, former member of District Consumer Commission, who formed a WhatsApp group in the name of 'Consumer Advocacy Group', said that the group has been organising at least one Webinar/Online meet every month in coordination with an institution in each State across the country, thus involving and engaging younger participants to bring awareness on consumer issues.

The Consumer Advocacy Group has nearly 600 members from 29 States and one Union territory across the country and a few non-resident Indians also spread in three WhatsApp groups.

The Consumers Advocacy Group was founded on November 24, 2017 with a few likeminded consumer activists with the main objective of creating consumer awareness. Several consumers from across the nation joined the group making it a powerful movement.

Murthy on Thursday said that with the support of their members, the group can make it 1,000 strong in near future. Eminent personalities from various walks of life including teachers, lawyers, doctors, engineers, entrepreneurs, businessmen, industrialists and others constitute the Consumer Advocacy Groups.

There are large number of academicians including currently serving and retired Vice Chancellors, presidents and members of various Consumer Commissions in our groups.

Skits, songs, poems, short films, digital posters, news clips, articles and success stories are being shared in the groups contributed by our members for creating consumer awareness.

The advocacy groups are conducting national surveys on important consumer-related topics to gather information from every nook and corner of the country and present them in appropriate forums. One such recent survey could attract 5,000 responses, Murthy said. The Consumer Advocacy Group is also making representations on behalf of the consumers at large to various government bodies on specific consumer issues and suggestions to policy makers as well.

He appealed to the consumers to make this group a think-tank to deliberate on consumer issues. Interested persons, who wish to join the consumer movement, may contact Murthy at 9849082333.