The roadblocks and controls on foreign funding are being ironed out and at last people working in the non-government organisations can look forward to proper compensatory pay packages. What this will do towards acknowledging the work of NGOs as significant contributors in the nation's future development can only be imagined. It will also help NGOs to claim a legitimate stake in finding solutions to problems in the daily lives of citizens which are at present nobody's business. The current impasse between those who hold the purse-strings as well as the reigns of governance and NGOs also looks set to dissolve in the near future.

The RTI amendment bill, which the government has now decided to keep in abeyance, is again an instance, where the opinion amongst various sections of civil society and social activists was that transparency must prevail everywhere and that all systems are accountable to scrutiny, if these claim to work for the public. However expert opinion also averred that the move to amend the Act for deleting file notings was not really going to affect the public at large, as these notings were mostly relating to "personnel-related matters like examination assessment and evaluation of recruitment, disciplinary proceedings etc."

Another far-reaching change likely to affect the day-to-day life of the average consumer is the large number of services which are likely to come under the Consumer Protection Act. As one news report put it, this could, in reality and at last, really make consumers kings and queens. Any and everything, whether purchases made on the Net, to housing and builders, shares in the stock market or even educational institutions, could all be swept into the ambit of consumer rights. Municipal, health and medical services, primary education, given free or on payment of fees, if provided by statutory bodies and/or local service providers, will now be within the purview of the Consumer Protection Act. The Act is all set to become 'more vibrant, dynamic and functional to enable it to tackle the challenges of a liberalised economy.' The consumers will be able to file complaints and pay court fees online. The draft seeks to give teeth to redressal agencies to make 'quick justice' available to the aggrieved consumers, and cuts down on the redressal period while making provision for imposing heavier fines on the sellers, if they defraud hapless consumers.

Refusal to issue bills or cash memos would be deemed an unfair trade practice, once the amended Act comes into force.

Here is enough cause to celebrate, as the festive season is just round the corner and unfair trade practices and cases of fraud and cheating are all set to double and triple.

We urge all our members to equip themselves with enough information, so that no trader can take them for a ride. We are always there to join forces with you to make you unassailable and strong. Help us to do that by joining hands with us.
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