Confluence ’13 Youth Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting, New Delhi
4/3/2013 | New Delhi
FICCI CASCADE organised a youth festival in collaboration with Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies in the University of Delhi. Hon’ble Minster for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, Mr. Ajay Maken while inaugurating the FICCI CASCADE youth festival called for drive against smuggling andcounterfeiting to plug fiscal deficit. He further said “the report released by FICCI-CASCADE highlighting the impact of counterfeit and smuggling on seven key sectors of the economy and the lossto government is a right step in creating awareness.” Mr Maken said that it was very important for this “invisible enemy” to become visible and customer awareness is an extremely important step for this inaddition to supply chain management and enforcement. It was highlighted that if products like alcohol and tobacco are fake and counterfeit, the harm is increased manifold.
Dr. Arbind Prasad, Director General FICCI welcoming the Minister, stated that, “It is extremely important to understand the impact on society in terms of the involvement of organised crime cartels who are the people engaged in the nefarious activities of fake, counterfeit and smuggled goods. The main thrust of FICCI-CASCADE is creating awareness. This is being done through engagement withConsumer Affairs Ministry in the Jago Grahak Jago” programme, working with youth in various festivals and also creating a knowledge base like the study released to study the economic impact offake, counterfeit and smuggled goods.
‘Confluence’ 13 had an array of events including Case Study Competition, Poster making, T-shirt painting, On-line photography competition, Broad walk Empire, Bid to win and ‘The Ultimate leader’, all in keeping with the theme of the event “Youth against Smuggling and Counterfeiting”.
Cross country race, New Delhi
2/3/2013 | New Delhi
FICCI CASCADE firmly believes in the power, zeal and enthusiasm of the youth of the country. Young management students of Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies and other colleges of University of Delhi participated in a Cross Country Race Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting organized at the Rugby grounds, North Campus on 2nd March, 2013.
Over 150 students from various colleges of Delhi University daunting the slogan of “Quit Fakes” ran forthe cause. Mr. Arjun Vajpai, the youngest Mountaineer to climb Mount Everest addressed the students and flagged off the race, Mr. Deep Chand, Retd. Special Commissioner Delhi Police. Advisor,FICCI CASCADE graced the event with his esteemed presence and informed the students that this issue is not only related to industry or economy but is posing a threat to the national security. He urgedthe students to “Quit Fakes” and not to encourage the sales of these products.
The race was a huge success and the first of its kind across Delhi University. The winners, Jitendra Kumar from Shyamlal College(category male) and Meenu Dabas from Miranda College (category female) received prizes .The youngest runner Dev (12 years) from Push panjali Public School was also awarded a special prize.
FICCI-CASCADE Seminar on ‘Curbing Counterfeiting and Smuggling – An Imperative for Indian Economy, Tamil Nadu
22/2/2013 | Tamil Nadu
The 8th consultation at Chennai brought experts to raise the concern over the growing illicit trade andto create large-scale awareness among the impacted segments of the society. The cause the seminar witnessed huge participation of over 100 delegates. Mr. M Rafeeque Ahmed, Chairman, FICCI Tamil Nadu State Council welcomed the dignitaries and highlighted the objectives of the seminar like generating awareness, interaction with law enforcement agencies and sharing best practices.The seminar was inaugurated by Hon’bleMr. Justice K N Basha, Judge, Madras High Court, he stated that the problem of smuggling and counterfeiting is the worst evil faced by the economy of the country. Justice Basha also stated that such activities cause damage to the industry, loss to the exchequer, revenue and tax problem to the government and a huge loss to the public at large, he emphasized on the enlightenment of the society, “unless the mind set changes the society will not change”.
Ms. Mala Srivastava, Chief Commissioner of Customs, Tamil Nadu said that counterfeiting and smuggling continue to thrive globally due to the weakness of the consumers desire to acquire branded products at low cost and the lack of awareness about the hazards adds to this menace. She emphasized on discarding the fake products and to awaken the spirit among all individuals and to take a pledge and work towards the common aim.
Mr. P Murari IAS (Retd.) Advisor to FICCI President & Former Secretary to President of India appreciated FICCI CASCADE for its initiative and advocated to have Fast Track Court to solve this menace. Recalling Mahatma Gandhi he quoted his words “There is enough in this country to satisfyman’s need but not enough to satisfy man’s greed”.
Seminar observed editorial support from three leading newspapers, Mr. K. T. Jagannathan, Deputy Business Editor, The Hindu raised his support to the cause and asked for the support of the masses tofight this evil. Mr. R Bhagwan Singh, Consulting Editor, Deccan Chronicle shared his experiences andpledged for the editorial support. He emphasized on “ask for the bill’ and also address the youth andsaid that media will be your platform. Mr. G Babu Jayakumar, Deputy Resident Editor, The New IndianExpress quoted counterfeiting and smuggling as a crime and seek information from the industry toeliminate unscrupulous activities.
Ms.Kalpana Reddy, First Secretary, US Patent & Trademark Office, U.S. Department of Commercehighlighted various legal options – civil, criminal and administrative for the enforcement of IntellectualProperty Rights. She presented various dimensions of IP crimes. IP Crimes lead to economic harm torights holders, revenue loss to the states, consumer confusions, public health and safety etc.The seminar ended with a common view that the problem of counterfeiting and smuggling ismultifaceted and complex and need to be discussed time and again, with government, to emphasizeon effective and adequate laws and enforcement; increasing engagement with the industry and mostimportantly creating awareness in the society to curb the menace of counterfeiting and smuggling.
FICCI CASCADE Seminar on Curbing Counterfeiting and Smuggling – An Imperative for Indian Economy, BIHAR
16/1/2013 | Bihar
The 7th consultation organized at Patna on 16th January, 2013 was inaugurated by Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Finance, Patna, Shri Sushil Kumar Modi; Mr. Sanjay Bhartiya, Additional Advocate General Government of Bihar, Patna High Court; Mr.Swayam Prakash, Editor, Prabhat Khabar; Ms Kalpana Reddy, First Secretary US Embassy; Mr. J N Singh , Awake India Foundation; Mr.Sunil Kumar, Cell for Consumer Education and Advocacy; Mr. S D Sanjay, Secretary General, BiharIndustries Association; Mr.KishoriLal, Commissioner Customs and Excise Preventive, Bihar; Mr. J SGangwar, Inspector General Darbhanga Zone, Bihar Police and Mr.Parminder Singh , Head IP PolicyAsia – Pacific HP joined the consultation.
The seminar was attended by over 260 delegates hailing from all the sections of the society, the local industry, industry chambers, farmers, students as well as consumer rights organizations. An extensiveoverview was delivered to the gathering about the ‘disastrous effects of counterfeiting and smuggling on the Indian economy in the form of health and safety risks to the consumers and public at large.During the seminar it was highlighted that the annual loss to the government in the year 2012 due tofake and spurious goods is Rs. 26,190 Crores.
Based on their experiences and knowledge, the esteemed guests, highlighted the problems and the necessity and urgency to curb the menace and its ill effects on the trade especially in the tobacco/cigarettes/ alcohol and FMCG products in Bihar. Active participation of the gathering brought to thenotice of the esteemed dignitaries that Patna city is the hub of all the counterfeit and fake products.The importance of the seminar was highlighted and examples were cited that demonstrated the lack of enforcement of trademarks and copyrights and its effect on the trade and manufactures. Theaudience posed inquisitive questions which were responded optimistically by the experts. It wasagreed that there is an urgent need for a conjoint effort, whether it is the enforcement agencies orFICCI or custom officials or general public, to work together to curb the menace of counterfeiting andsmuggling. Mr.Gangwar, IG, Bihar Police stressed that crimes of the nature being discussed in theseminar are now a priority for his department. The seminar was successful to the extend police hascome down more aggressively in Patna district in the period February – June 2013.
Sensitization workshop on Fight Smuggling and Counterfeiting, Patna
16/1/2013 | Patna
FICCI CASCADE on 16th January, 2013 organized a sensitization workshop at Rameshwar Das Panna Lal Mahila College(RPM college), Patna to sensitize young college girls about the growing ill effects of counterfeiting and smuggling. The workshop witnessed enthusiastic participation of over 100 students and teachers at the Mahila College. The basics of problem of counterfeiting and fake products especially FMCG sector such as cosmetics, toothpaste, etc as well as pharmaceuticals and counterfeit alcohols were discussed.
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Seminar on “Building a Consumer Rights Movement- Empowering the Consumer of Today, New Delhi
20/12/2012 | New Delhi
As part of its efforts to create awareness, commissioned a special study on the impact of smuggling and counterfeiting on seven key sectors of the economy. The report, prepared by the Thought Arbitrage Research Institute (TARI), New Delhi, made a pioneering attempt to estimate the size of the ‘grey market’ for selected industry sectors in India and projected the economic loss to industry, government and consequent social impact.
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“National Consumer Rights Meet” on The future of Consumer Rights Movement”, New Delhi
19/12/2012 | New Delhi
Consumer Rights Activists from various states of India gathered to discuss the future course of the Consumer Rights Movement. During the keynote address on the occasion, Mr. Pankaj Agrawala, secretary, Ministry of Consumer Affairs said that, “The market was becoming very complex with service industry overtaking the manufacturing industry.” He said that a sizeable section of the population was not even aware of quality products. He wanted consumer organisations to be more active in creating awareness and assured that the Ministry of Consumers Affairs will lend their complete support in their efforts . Mr. Anil Rajput, Chairman, FICCI-CASCADE said that, “Awareness is the beginning of change.” He said that FICCI-CASCADE would continue its efforts to create consumer awareness through various campaigns throughout the nation.
Lear More“Awareness through Art”,On the Spot Painting Competition on Consumer Rights, New Delhi
18/12/2012 | New Delhi
The National Consumer Week was flagged off with the “Awareness through Art” over 272 students participated from various schools of NCR Delhi in the Painting Competition on Consumer Rights.The competition focused on the detrimental effects of smuggled, counterfeit and fake goods on the health and safety of consumers, with specific topics like, “Say no to Fakes”, and “Does Black Money encourage crime in society?” The paintings by the students also brought to fore the steps, which can be taken by consumers to avoid being duped into purchasing these fake products, with topics like “Buying a product without receipt—Sensible or Dangerous” and “Be responsible: Insist on a bill”. The paintings by the students also brought to fore the steps, which can be taken by consumers to avoid being duped into purchasing these fake products. All the participating students were awarded certificates. Cash prizes were awrded to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize winners by Smt. Renu Agrawala.
NATIONAL CONSUMERS RIGHTS WEEK 2012, New Delhi
18/12/2012 | New Delhi
The 6th consultation was organised in the run up to the “National Consumer Day” being celebrated on24th December 2012 FICCI CASCADE celebrated the National Consumer Rights Week during the period 18-20th of December, 2012. The week’s celebration advocated socially responsible behaviour amongst Consumers.
The National Consumer Week was flagged off with the “Awareness through Art” program on 18th December 2012. Students of schools of NCR Delhi participated in an “On the Spot inter school Painting Competition on Consumer Rights” on this day. Over 272 students participated from various schools of NCR Delhi in the Painting Competition on Consumer Rights. The competition focused on the detrimental effects of smuggled, counterfeit and fake goods and their impact on health and safety of consumers. All the participating students were awarded certificates. This was followed by “National Consumer Rights Meet” on 19th December 2012 where Consumer Rights Activists from various states of India gathered to discuss the future course of the Consumer Rights Movement.
During the Key note address on the occasion, Mr. Pankaj Agrawala, Secretary, Ministry of Consumer Affairs highlighted the fact that, “The market was becoming very complex with service industry overtaking the manufacturing industry.” He said that a sizeable section of the population was not even aware of quality products. He further wanted consumer organisations to be more active in creating awarenessand assured that the Ministry of Consumers Affairs will lend their complete support in their efforts.
Mr. Anil Rajput, Chairman, FICCI-CASCADE assured that FICCI-CASCADE would continue its efforts to create consumer awareness through various campaigns throughout the nation. During the panel discussion the consumer activists unanimously agreed on the need to bring about a change in the Consumer Protection Act and provide a mechanism for speedy trials of the consumer cases.
On the 20th December 2012 the Hon’ble Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food Supply and Distribution was invited to deliver a Special address on the theme of “Building a Consumer Rights Movement-Empowering the Consumer of Today”. During the program the report of the study on “Socio-Economic impact of counterfeiting smuggling and Tax evasion in seven key Indian industry sectors”was released. The report, prepared by Thought Arbitrage Research Institute (TARI), New Delhi, made a pioneering attempt to estimate the size of the ‘grey market’ for selected industry sectors in India and projected the economic loss to industry, government and consequent social impact.
Commenting on the findings, Ms. NainaLal Kidwai, FICCI President said, “Counterfeiting is a serious economic offence causing a huge loss to industry, to the government and also to consumers. But it is still not considered as serious offence.” Further adding on to the subject, Dr. A Didar Singh, Secretary General, FICCI expressed his concern that consumers today are compromising their safety, as the products which they are consuming are not of the set standards because they are not coming from the manufacturer who actually promised them safety and adequate quality. The dignitaries present on the occasion congratulated FICCI CASCADE for having taken this initiative and bring on board Industry and government for the benefit of consumers. The program was attended by over 120 delegates consisting of industry members, consumer rights activities, school teachers, members of the legal professionals .
FICCI CASCADE Seminar on Curbing Counterfeiting and Smuggling – An Imperative for Indian Economy, MADHYA PRADESH
26/11/2012 | Madhya Pradesh
The 5th consultation organised at Bhopal launched a multi-pronged and sustained public campaign to enlarge awareness among the people of Madhya Pradesh about the criminal offences involved in counterfeiting, smuggling and other organized crime which adversely affect the rights and interests of individuals. The seminar focused on the affects of counterfeiting which damage the interests of growers, producers, manufacturers and traders, cause loss of revenue to the public exchequer, and pose a serious threat to the security of the State and the country.
The Minister of Finance, Madhya Pradesh Shri Raghavji, inaugurated the seminar and said that citizens should know about counterfeit products, they should understand that cheaper counterfeit products can risk their life’s. Mr. Govind Goyal, Vice President, Federation of Madhya Pradesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry, gave the welcome address, he said that this seminar is of immense importance as it would help in enlarging awareness among all the stakeholders as how to curb the production and use of counterfeit products. He also highlighted that Madhya Pradesh has emerged asa hot bed of illegal cigarettes in India.
The Minister congratulated FICCI-CASCADE and FMPCCI for joining hands to deliberate on such an extremely important problem. He emphasized that the loss suffered by the government by such activities in terms of revenue is huge. He gave a threefold solution to the problem where the consumers have to be made aware of the issue, secondly more people should come forward to report the cases and finally the government should encourage such seminars and people to come forward and report the activities.
Mr. Dinesh Prajapati, Editor, Upbhokta Express highlighted the role of consumers forums and organizations in spreading awareness on counterfeiting and smuggling. Mr. Manoj Mathur, Editor- in-Chief, Bare Truth said that fake and counterfeit medicines have a direct impact on the health and safety of consumers. Mr. M N Buch, Advisor Editor, Bare Truth spoke on the role of media in spreading consumer education and awareness in curbing counterfeiting and smuggling.
In the panel discussion on intellectual property enforcement issues against smuggling and counterfeiting Mr. Deep Chand, advisor FICCI CASCADE highlighted the role of Police and customs enforcement of the techniques and schemes for curbing counterfeiting and smuggling in India. Mr. MR Krishna , ADG, CID Bhopal informed the gathering that CID is the nodal agency for reporting counterfeiting and smuggling cases and invited people to come forward and inform the police. He assured that prompt action would be taken on such reports. The other panel list Dr. D K Verma,Commissioner, Customs &Excise , Bhopal mentioned that the customs have taken this issue very seriously and is working to curb this issue. He mentioned that a conjoint effort of consumers, Industry and the enforcement agency is the key to curb this issue.
