March 15 every year is celebrated for each of us in the role of a consumer,and has been so from last 38 years.
Inspiration behind the day
President John F Kennedy gave a special message to the US Congress on thisday in the year 1962. He talked about consumer rights and the importance of thesame.
He was the first world leader to talk about the topic.
On this day, various related organisations and NGOs (not-for-profitorganizations) have events to spread awareness about the rights of everyindividual as a consumer.
An international organisation Consumer International is active in thismission, not only on this special day of March 15, but throughout the year
The event of World Consumer Rights Day is celebrated with a specific themeeach year.
2021 – The scourge of plastic
This year’s (2021) theme is on the bane of environment and the exemplar ofconvenience at the same time – plastic.
We all know how this versatile product can be used in an infinite number ofways.
But, the same durability of the chemical is also the reason for itsbecoming a thorn in our mother nature’s eye.
In this day and age there is not a single square kilometre of Earth whichis not infested with platic. For instance, when some deep sea divers went exploringthe sea bottom, there were plastic soft-drink bottles, polythene bags, and usedtyres lying on the floor.
“Disposable” does not mean degradable
No doubt, plastic was a revolution when it was created owing to itssturdiness, durability, and malleability.
But, we need to unlearn what we have been taught and see plastic for whatit is – it is immortal and is not going away.
Helena Leurent, Director General of Consumers International, said in amessage on World Consumer Rights Day, “Plastic pollution is one of the mostpressing issues facing our planet. Consumer awareness of the plastics crisis isgrowing around the world. Consumers have a critical role in shaping themarketplace, and we must support them to mobilise businesses and governments,to ensure sustainable consumption is accessible to all.”
Now, in this we need the following 7 R’s to take care of our Mother Earth, ifnot for your children, then for ourselves at least:
The hashtag #WorldConsumerRightsDay was trending on Twitter earlier thisday.
Summary of the tweets: While most tweets were along the expected linesshowcasing and encouraging to refrain from plastic usage and also follow the 7R’s, some netizens, especially those who speak Kannada are demanding that everycommercial enterprise interact with them in Kannada, while another section aresharing satire on Prime Minister Narendra Modi
