From the desk of Chief Editor

Consumer rights are the rights given to a consumer to protect him from being cheated by unscrupulous traders and service providers. Consumer rights are designed to ensure fair trade competition, free flow of truthful information in the market place and may provide additional protections for the weak and those unable to take care of themselves. These rights are well defined by the Consumer Protection Act and there are agencies like the government, consumer courts and voluntary consumer organizations that work towards safe guarding the consumer rights. Even though the Consumer Protection Act has been in operation since 1986, yet the consumers are not fully aware about the various provisions of the Act particularly the rights as consumers. In this study an attempt is made to determine the evolution of consumer rights and the level of awareness of sample respondents of coimbatore district on consumer rights. The level of awareness about the consumer rights and the prevalence of various redressal machineries will be an indication of the successful performance in consumer protection movement. This paper deals with such important areas of young consumer rights and responsibilities.