KEEMAT AGM Issue – June 2014

AGM lssue June zAM Rs. 15

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Value for Pr ice, People and the Envi ronrnent

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KEEMAT: AGM Issue – June 2014 3

CONSUMER GUIDANCE SOCIETY OF INDIA, BLOCK ‘J’, AZAD MAIDAN,

MAHAPALIKA MARG, MUMBAI 400 001

Tel. No. : 91-22-2262 1612 Fax No. : 91-22-2265 9715

E-mail: [email protected]

Date: 3 June 2014. NOTICE OF 47th AGM

Notice is hereby given that the 47th Annual General Body Meeting of the Consumer Guidance Society of India will be held on 9 July 2014, at 4.00 p.m. at the Karnataka Sangh, Ground Floor Hall, T. H. Kataria Marg, Mahim, Mumbai – 400016.

AGENDA

I. Welcome by the Chairman. II. Address by the President.

III. Confirmation of the minutes of 46th AGM held on 2 August 2013.

IV. Presentation of the Annual Report by Hon. Gen. Secretary. V. Presentation of Accounts for 2013-2014.

NOTE

Any member having any query regarding the accounts is requested to give the same in writing to the office latest by 4.00 p.m. on 3 July 2014.

The Treasurer/Jt. Treasurer will answer all queries in person on 7 July 2014 between

2.00 p.m. and 4.00. p.m. at the CGSI office.

VI. Appointment of Auditors for the year 2014-2015, and fixing of their honorarium VII. Nomination of President and Vice Presidents for the year 2014-2016

VIII. Confirmation of Panel of Returning Officers for the year 2015

IX. Any other Business with the permission of the Chair X. Election to the managing committee (see N.B. below).

XI. Declaration of Election results.

XII. Vote of thanks. By order of the Managing Committee

Sd/-

Dr. M. S. Kamath

Hon. Gen. Secretary N. B.

1. The following members of the Managing Committee, Mrs. Sanjeeta Joshi (resigned

during 2012-13), Mr. Anil Dhumak, Mr. B. V. Desai, & Prof. N. M. Rajadhyaksha are

retiring by rotation. There are, therefore, four vacancies. 2. If there is no quorum, the meeting shall stand adjourned for half an hour, after which

the business of the meeting shall be carried on at the same date and venue, even if there

is no quorum. 3. Members are requested to bring their copy of the Annual Report magazine with them.

For the sake of economy, additional copies will not be available. 4. Voting will be from 5.30 p.m. to 7.00 p.m. Counting of votes and results thereafter. 5. All members should bring photographic proof of identity in the form of CGSI Identity

Card or any Card issued by a Statutory Authority (e.g. Voter Card, PAN Card, Driving Licence, Passport etc.) to vote and/or to attend the AGM.


Letters to the Editor I want to impress on how the chemistry of halogens has contributed to havoc on human life across the globe. 1. CFC – Chloro fluoro carbon is an old story, which created Aerosol revolution was later banned because of

environmental damage. It has created Ozone hole and UV radiation causing cancer risk. 2. Teflon was a wonder polymer and used aggressively for so many years and now it has reached in every Americans

blood. It is linked to human carcinogen risk. Read the link below. http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/othercarcinogens/athome/teflon-and-perfluorooctanoic-acid--pfoa

3. Fluorides were touted as savior for dental caries. Many western countries started fluoridating municipal supply of water. Now it is been found fluoride is carcinogenic and causes bone cancer. Read the attached link. http://preventdisease.com/news/14/031214_15-Facts-Most-People-Dont-Know-About-Fluoride.shtml

4. PCB - poly Chloro Bis Phenol was widely used in industrial applications electrical appliances cutting fluids etc was banned in year 1979. It is a non-degradable pollutant and accumulated PCB is still found in aquatic animal’s plants meat etc. Read the link, http://environmentalchemistry.com/yogi/chemistry/pcb.html

5. Triclosan - Trichloro hydroxyl diphenyl ether. This compound is widely used in cosmetics. It has been implicated as

endocrine disrupter and it mimics thyroid hormone and may lead to cancer. The ban on this compound is impending. The bill to ban will be filed in US senate very shortly. Read, http://www.beyondpesticides.org/antibacterial/triclosan.php Also, watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=JG4xtd3TI3k

6. TCC. Trichloro Carbanilide is not considered endocrine disruptor but it is under intense scrutiny. Read the link http://www.biomonitoring.ca.gov/sites/default/files/downloads/HenkelLANXESSTCCcomments052410.pdf

7. Then come, havoc of bromine compounds, PBDE - Poly bromo diphenyl ether. This was the compound discovered after World War II as a Flame retardant. It has been used extensively as flame retardant in thousands of applications. You cannot escape this chemical whether it is your home, car, office. Used in all electronic devises electrical cables TVs computers vinyl flooring wood coating urethane foams rexine window blinds etc. Such extensive use of this compound over a period of last several decades has spread this across our environment, river water food chain meat

etc. It is concentration in mother’s milk has reached a peak like DDT several years back. This compound is endocrinal disruptor and leads to cancer and host of other health issues. Read the link below for more details. http://www.ourstolenfuture.org/newscience/oncompounds/PBDE/whatarepbdes.htm

8. Last come, BVO, or brominated vegetable oil. Recent withdrawal of BVO by Coca cola from their drink Mountain Dew. Read link, http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/may/06/brominated-vegetable-oil-bvo-additive-negative-health-coca-cola

It will take lot of time to read the links, but it is worth. Thank you

S. M. Shanbhag (CGSI - Life Member), Email: [email protected] YOU Can Get Prompt Action, with Act 21 of 2006. Many Citizens find that when they make applications for certain services or for some corrections or make a

complaint or representation to Government bodies they get no

response. Now there is a very powerful law in Maharashtra, which can empower us. If citizens use it with RTI, it can result in better governance and delivery of timely services. Its name is a mouthful: ‘Government Servants Regulation of Transfers and Prevention of Delay in Discharge of Official Duties Act (Act 21 of 2006)’. The first part – Chapter 2 - specifies that government servants must have tenure of three years and should normally be transferred only in April or May. If this is, violated reasons must be given. Citizens can use this to curb arbitrary transfers of good officers like Khemka or Pardeshi.

The second part, Rule 10 effectively says that no decision on any file can take more than 45 days if a matter has to be decided within the department, and no more than 90 days where other departments have to

be consulted.

Rule 10 (3) [ 64C for BMC] along with the rules requires the competent authority to do a preliminary investigation within 15 working days and take disciplinary action if negligence is established. In short if an application / complaint / representation has received no response for over 90 days, if the citizen brings it to the notice of the competent authority (Secretary of the department), the Secretary is obliged to take steps to fix responsibility for dereliction of duty. If you have received no response to your application / complaint / representation in Maharashtra please send a letter on the following lines to the Secretary of the department:

“I had given my application for………..

on ………….. Since then I have received no communication. I would like to draw your attention to Section 10 of the Transfers and Delays Act 21 of 2006/ (64C of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act) which mandates that no decision can be kept pending for over 3 months. In the instant case, no decision has been communicated to me despite the lapse of…… months. I request to conduct a preliminary enquiry to fix responsibility on the officers responsible for this delay and take appropriate disciplinary action against them. I request that the report of the enquiry

may please be sent to me.” “I look forward to your early action in the above matter,”

Shailesh Gandhi Email: [email protected] Tel: 91-22-26001003; 8976240798


CONSUMER GUIDANCE SOCIETY OF INDIA, MUMBAI Election to the Managing Committee – 47th AGM – Nomination Paper

I propose Shri/Smt.______________________________________________________ as a candidate

for the Managing Committee of the Consumer Guidance Society of India for the ensuing election to be held at the Forty Seventh Annual General Body Meeting.

NAME: MEMBERSHIP NO:

ADDRESS: DATE: SIGNATURE OF PROPOSER

I second the above nomination of Shri/Smt. _______________________________ as a candidate for the Managing Committee of the Society at the ensuing election.

NAME: MEMBERSHIP NO:

ADDRESS: DATE: SIGNATURE OF SECONDER

I hereby consent to my nomination as a candidate for the Managing Committee of the Society at the ensuing election. I declare that I am not disqualified by proviso in Regulation

18 of the Society’s Rules. NAME:

MEMBERSHIP NO: OCCUPATION: ADDRESS:

DATE: SIGNATURE OF CANDIDATE

Special Notes: Last date of receiving nomination forms is 2 July 2014 up to 1.00 p.m. Scrutiny of nomination papers on 5 July 2014 at 3.00 p.m.

Withdrawal of candidature not later than 7 July 2014, 3.00 p.m. Announcement of final list of candidates, 7 July 2014, 4.00 p.m. on CGSI office notice board

1. If any member needs more nomination papers, it can be collected from Society office. 2. All the Founder Members and Life Members who are on the roll 30 days prior to the

issuance of notice of election and all Ordinary Members whose names are on the roll at least one year prior to the issuance of the notice of election and who are not in arrears of the subscription for more than 30 days before the date of issuance of such notice of

election shall be eligible to contest the election (subject to proviso in Regulation 18 of the Society’s Rules.)

3. As per the Rules, a member who has been in arrears of the membership subscription for more than 30 days immediately before the date of the meeting shall not be eligible to vote.

4. Contestants may submit their brief biodata along with nomination paper (not more than 100 words). Any false declaration, or suppression of facts, will render the candidature

null and void. 5. Members list available from the office at Rs. 200 per set.


Letters to the Editor This issue of the Keemat (May – June 2014) has many good articles. One such article on page 13 - CLAIMING ASSETS AFTER DEATH has raised some queries in my mind and I would like to get in touch with the person-concerned advocate Mr. Manish Chauhan. Is it possible to have his Email ID? Alternatively, should I write to this Email ID and you will forward it to him for a reply? Please let me know. Thanks. This is to inform you that the company (Bosch Home Appliances) BSH House Hold Appliances Manufacturing Pvt. Ltd., kindly replaced the fan in the fridge free of cost on 29 May. I hope that the fridge should now work properly. Thanks for your intervention. Joyce Cardozo, E-mail: [email protected] I am Vinay Kumar Amarjeet Yadav. I was facing deposit fees issue with my college from last 1 year. Now due to your guidance I solved my issue with college and received the deposit fees. I am very thankful to Consumer Guidance Society of India and Trupti ma'am.

Vinay Kumar Amarjeet Yadav, E-mail: [email protected] As per RBI regulations, all banks whether PSU or private are required to charge their customer for SMS alert charges based on actual usage. The SMS is supposed to be issued to the consumer as and when there is any transaction in the fee. This means that the banks are required to charge the consumers for SMS Alert service based on the number of transactions being carried out by the consumer. It has come to the notice that practically all banks other than UCO are charging the consumers on faxed charges ranging from Rs. 15 to 30 per quarter, which is against the Banking regulations. We had got refund to the consumers who have complained to us and at the same time taken the issue before Department of Consumer Affairs requesting for class action. It is therefore requested to spread the regulations to as many people as possible and get the complaint from those consumers in writing either email or letters. The consumers may be advised to forward the copy of the statement where the amount has been deducted in violation of the regulation and the transactions during that quarter. Such complaint may be forwarded to us as they are received i.e. letter or email. We will follow up with the banks to refund the excess amount and at the same time use these complaints for class action if preferring to file. I may be contacted for any clarification on the regulation and understanding the issue. I keep on posting such articles on my blog, the link of which is given below in my signature. S. K. Virmani, E-mail: [email protected] Mobile No.: 09868170286 / 09958111131/ 09810060871 http://www.facebook.com/grahakjago, http://jagograhak.blogspot.in, https://twitter.com/grahakjago

21 learning’s from Indian advertisements 01. Most top female film actors have some hair problem, viz., dandruff problem, dry hair problem, hair fall problem,

chip-chip (Chipku) hair problem, or hair growth problem. 02. If you have a hot wife, make sure your neighbor does not use a branded deodorant in your absence! 03. To get a job - Your complexion is more important than your qualifications. 04. If there is no salt or lime in your kitchen, you can use Toothpaste. 05. Every second oral care brand is No. 1 and recommended by every dentist in India! 06. If your daughter is not ready to get married, take her to a jewelry/textile showroom. 07. If your daughter/son is not ambitious or get a suitable job, gift her/him, fairness cream tube. 08. Only reason why men use deodorant is to get girls. 09. Most cola cure all kinds of phobias. You will be close to a superman, if you drink these regularly! 10. All superstars are so poor that they prefer to risk life for a cool drink than to purchase it for Rs. 10.00 11. If your vehicle is stuck in sludge during rains, call for women using a specific brand of detergent powder for help.

Specific shampoo users can also pull the vehicle out in a moment using their hair. 12. Fruit content in shampoo and soap is more than fruit content in 99% of juices. 13. Most people buy vehicles to travel in bad roads but complain about roads in India. 14. You cannot eat soft chocolate bar without spreading it all over you face. 15. Nobody uses motorbikes for commuting. It is only to pick up girls. 16. All soaps kill 99.9% of germs. 17. People believe that Bacardi makes music CD's & Directors special / Kingfisher make mineral water. 18. Whenever mothers and daughters talk to each other, it is usually about hair oil. 19. No matter what kind of expert one is, he will always wear a white laboratory coat. 20. Mutual fund investments are subject to market risks. Read offer document carefully before investing. So………. 21. Companies have better satirical cartoonists and advertisers than people who make better products.


Minutes of the 46th Annual General Meeting of CGSI;

Consumer Guidance Society of India, on 2 August 2013, at 4.00 P. M. at the Karnataka Sangh, Ground Floor Hall,

T. H. Kataria Marg, Mahim, Mumbai – 400016.

Presided by:

Mr. Sharad P. Upasani (President)

Present on the dais:

Mr. S. D. Puri (Trustees), Mr. Conrad Saldanha (Trustees),

Dr. Sitaram Dixit (Chairman),

Dr. M. S. Kamath (Hon. General Secretary).

Prior to start of the proceedings Mr. R. B. Purohit enquired whether the President is a member of CGSI

and whether he has voting rights. He further stated

that if the President does not possess voting rights,

he will not attend the meeting and will walk out.

Dr. M. S. Kamath explained to the house that Mr. Sharad Upasani is a Hon. Member of CGSI, and was

fully qualified to preside. Disagreeing with Dr. M. S.

Kamath’s reasoning, Mr. R. B. Purohit along with Dr.

A. R. Shenoy walked out of the meeting.

Thereafter, Dr. M. S. Kamath called the meeting to

order requesting everyone to maintain decorum and

dignity of the house. Dr. M. S. Kamath then

requested the Chairman to address the members.

Welcome by the Chairman

Dr. Sitaram Dixit welcomed the President, the

trustees and all members present in the house. He

stated that CGSI has done a good job this year in

comparison to previous years with a lot of work done

also outside Mumbai city, like, Pune, Jharkhand, Bihar, apart from interior Maharashtra, spreading

CGSI activities. He informed that CGSI has done over

250 consumer awareness programs.

Consumer help line received over 6000 complaints out of which 70% were basic consumer complaints

and most of them have got resolved. However, 97% of

complaints have come from Mumbai & Thane, and

CGSI should make further efforts to publicize the

Maharashtra helpline number so that other districts

in Maharashtra also avail the facility.

Address by the President

Mr. Sharad Upasani, while welcoming members,

stated that in the last meeting he had indicated CGSI to find out a substitute in his place, as he has

wanted to step down due his other commitments.

Mr. Upasani appreciated the continued forward

march of CGSI and congratulated all the members

for supporting the activities of CGSI. He remarked

that reading Keemat issue in which notice of AGM is

published one gets a feeling that it gives more

publicity to investment awareness program than

programs in other areas of consumer concern. He reiterated that CGSI should make members aware of

all the activities of the organization by reporting it in

Keemat. Requesting all members present to maintain

decorum and dignity of the house, thereafter he took

up the agenda.

Confirmation of the minutes of the 45th AGM

held on 22 June 2012

Mr. Anil Dhumak stated that the minutes of last

AGM did not record some of his specific statements. Mr. Upasani informed that the minutes are not

verbatim record but all relevant points made relating

to Agenda & resolutions are recorded. He further

stated that it is the President’s prerogative to make

the minutes and include only what is proper and relevant.

Mr. Dhumak inquired on the status of the police case

involving Dr. A. R. Shenoy. Dr. M. S. Kamath

suitably replied. Mr. Anil Dhumak said that CGSI did

not reply to some of his questions on accounts. Secretary Dr. Kamath refuted the statement saying

that the written reply issued was not accepted but

summarily refused. Mr. Upasani requested that the

society should send the written reply again by

registered post with acknowledgement due, and

thereby record the posting. Minor printing/spelling errors in minutes indicated also corrected.

Majority members then passed the minutes.

Proposed by Mr. B. R. Satra; Seconded by Mr. R. B. Kadam;

Passed by Majority

Presentation of Annual Report by the Hon.

General Secretary

Dr. M. S. Kamath first announced a donation of a

sum of Rs. 2000 received from Advocate C. D.

Prabhu. Members present applauded this gesture

and thanked Advocate Prabhu for the same.

Dr. M. S. Kamath referring to President’s address

requested all to see the cover page of Keemat. He

informed that CGSI activities encompass all in the

umbrella depicted. Awareness Programs, Action

Programs, Complaints Counseling, Helpline,


Grievance Resolution, are all undertaken regularly

representing consumer interest in mind. CGSI

regularly conducts milk testing for adulteration in addition to taking part in various food safety

programs around the year.

Mr. A. V. Shenoy said there is no news about Testing

Committee & Complaints, and wanted all details of

complaints published in Keemat, e.g., the kind of complaints received and the amount of money CGSI

save for them. He wanted publication of more data in

testing programs along with results.

Mr. Dhumak said that big event organizers did not give invitation to CGSI and started to deride CGSI’s

existence. Mr. Santosh Shukla requested him not to

divert the speaker and the house by raising irrelevant

issues during the presentation.

Dr. Kamath informed that CGSI regularly does counseling on a one to one basis, makes use of

innovative methods like say weighing “stones” that

enable people to check the actual weight of things

against the standardized stone, in addition to

training them to become an informed investor. Citing an example, he said that in one case a person from

CGSI actually went with a complainant to SBI to

clear the problem with his credit card and succeeded

in bringing down his payment outstanding to an

acceptable sum. However, he accepted the

President’s advice to ensure that all CGSI activities, gets reasonably sufficient coverage and publicity in

Keemat.

Dr. M. S. Kamath informed members that Mr. Ranjan

Varma was largely instrumental in arranging the trips to Bihar, Jharkhand, etc., and successfully

carrying out the programs in out of city locations.

President Mr. Upasani honored Mr. Ranjan Varma on

behalf of CGSI.

The Annual Report was the accepted as passed.

Proposed by Mr. Ramesh Nayak;

Seconded by Mr. Vikrant Jindal;

Passed by Majority.

Presentation of Accounts for 2012-13

Dr. M. S. Kamath informed that a couple of members

during their visit to CGSI office around 2.40 PM to

3.45 PM on 31 July 2013, used foul language,

abused and hurled obscenities against the Treasurer Mr. Vilas Wagh, and Committee Member Mr. Anil

Karandikar in the presence of Mr. V. M. Kamat from

CGSI office.

He further stated that CGSI strongly disapproves and

severely condemns use of such abusive, foul language and uncivilized, uncouth arrogant behavior

of the members.

A printing error in Keemat of one figure (Year 2011-

2012) in the balance sheet was read out for

correction.

Mr. B. R. Satra wanted to know the progress in the

long pending matter of traveling allowance of

unsettled amount of Rs. 33807.00 relating to the

year ending 2006 and 2007 shown as receivable in

balance sheet and the action taken to recover the same.

Mr. Vilas Wagh, CGSI Treasurer said it was a six-

year-old pending matter only carried forward in

subsequent year’s balance sheets. A police complaint was filed for misappropriation of funds. Dr. M. S.

Kamath further informed that some persons

approached the police and stated that these were

“adjustments” and to close the issue. However, until

date it is still unresolved.

The Accounts, Auditor's report and Notes on

Accounts with supplement were accepted and passed

by majority.

Proposed by Mr. B. R. Satra; Seconded by Mr. Santosh Shukla;

Passed by Majority

Appointment of Auditors for 2013-14

The house approved the proposal as recommended by the Managing Committee to the General Body, to

reappoint Mr. Sanjay R. Thopte as Auditor for the

financial year 2013-2014 at the same fees as per the

last financial year, i.e., Rs. 15,000.00 per annum.

Proposed by Mr. Simon D’Costa;

Seconded by Ms. Jamna Varadhachary;

Passed by Majority

Confirmation of Panel of Returning Officers

for the Year 2014

The house approved the proposal to reappoint the

panel of returning officers for 2014 as follows:

Advocate. R. V. Paranjpe, Mr. Anil Karandikar, and Ms. Mercian Saldanha,

Proposed by Mr. R. B. Kadam;

Seconded by Ms. Jamna Varadhachary;

Passed Unanimously

Any Other Matter with the Permission of

Chair

Mr. B. R. Satra said that he was a representative on

railway committees and requested that in future

reports of all such meetings should be published in Keemat. Dr. M. S. Kamath said, many people attend

meetings at various forums but fail to send in their


reports. Since reports are unavailable, it is not

printed.

Mr. Anil Dhumak wanted to know why the SEBI

issue is still unsettled. Dr. M. S. Kamath said it is

taking time as SEBI is taking its own time and CGSI

has no control on it.

Mr. Dinesh Bhandare stated that people like Mr. Anil Dhumak, who are antagonistic to CGSI, go to SEBI

with complaints, give wrong information thereby

delaying resolution. Mr. B. Desai said Mr. Dhumak

has become antagonistic to CGSI only because the

Managing Committee did not elect him as their Chairman. He further stated that as the erstwhile

Vice Chairman of CGSI, he was an official signatory

to every CGSI decision on SEBI.

Mr. Upasani said that in all organizations difference

of opinions exists. However, one should settle it within themselves amicably with discussions.

Members should not go to outsiders carrying tales

and running down members of their own

organization, which only reflects poorly on the

member and the organization. The President felt that CGSI members should not object only with an

intention to damage its creditability and appealed to

everyone to co-operate and resolve their issues as

early as possible

Mr. Anil Dhumak wanted Mr. Upasani to give a period of six months for closure of the SEBI matter.

However, all felt that giving a period may not work as

CGSI has no control on the decision-making

mechanism of SEBI. The house however requested

the Managing Committee to make efforts to resolve the issue as soon as possible.

Mr. A. V. Shenoy remarked that CGSI is not in the

limelight as opposed to many such organizations that

came in much later. CGSI is no longer, member of

Consumer International. As such, CI invited other consumer organizations to a conference in Geneva

instead of CGSI. Keemat quality is not good and has

deteriorated of late – it is full of photos, does not have

any good articles on consumer research, and does

not report the good things CGSI is doing. Many people approached him to complain about CGSI,

regarding non-refund of application money as CGSI

asked for return of their payment receipts. He felt

this condition is unnecessary. He remarked that

CGSI did not take any protest action against BEST,

which increased Tariff on Power Consumption in Mumbai.

Mr. Wagh replied that CGSI had wrongly issued the

receipts to some applicants. Such applicants have to

surrender the payment proof receipts to avoid audit

objections.

Dr. M. S. Kamath clarified that specific members

inimical to CGSI went to Consumer International (CI)

with false complaints, and wrong information on its working that eventually led CGSI to resign its CI

membership a few years back.

Dr. M. S. Kamath said that, in future Keemat issues,

CGSI would try to list all successful cases and

publish testing reports in details. He also appealed to members to submit articles of general interest so that

CGSI can carry it in the forthcoming issues of

Keemat.

The President Mr. Upasani remarked that aggrieved members should not bring individual matters to the

AGM, it being not a place for such discussions. They

should go to the Managing Committee and resolve

issues amicably.

Thereafter, the President declared the meeting closed and asked the Hon Secretary Dr. M. S. Kamath and

the returning officer to proceed with the election

formalities.

Election to the Managing Committee

Hon Secretary Dr. M. S. Kamath explained the

election process briefly to all members and requested

the returning officer Mr. Sanjay Thopte to conduct

the election and declare the results as provided for in

the society’s rules and regulations.

The Meeting ended with thanks to the chair.

Sd/-

Sharad Upasani President – CGSI

Results of the Election to the

Managing Committee

46th AGM 2013

Sr. No Candidate’s Name Number of Votes

1. Mr. Achintya Mukherjee 2

2. Dr. Arvind R. Shenoy 4

3. Mr. Dinesh Bhandare 115

4. Mr. Naren Israney 113

5. Mr. Santosh Shukla 109

6. Mr. Simon D’Costa 111

Mr. Dinesh Bhandare, Mr. Naren Israney, Mr.

Simon D’Costa and Mr. Santosh Shukla, is

declared elected.

2nd August 2013.

Sd/-

Returning Officer

CGSI Elections – AGM 2013


Report of the Hon. Secretary on the activities of the Society for the year

Friends,

One more momentous year has

passed. A new dispensation is

ruling our country after the

General Elections and instilling

hope in the minds of 125 crore Indians. The average citizen or

consumer is the focus of every

new program, promise, and

slogan.

In the year just gone by, we have consolidated our position as one of

the leading consumer organization

in India. We have spread our

wings to Gujarat, Jharkhand, UP.,

and Bihar. Maharashtra, of course, is our forte.

Consumer Education

Our name says it all – we are a

`guidance’ society. Making the

consumer aware of his rights and rising to enforce them is our

principal goal. In the year just

conclude we have held 9 seminars

on "Consumer and Telecom"; 360

seminars were conducted on "Investor Awareness" especially for

college students. We also had

about 60 Programs on General

Consumer Awareness during this

period.

A documentary film "Grahakpal"

prepared by Helpline project was

screened in almost all the

seminars during the year. The

exposure was to more than 20,000 viewers.

Dr. Sitaram Dixit addressed

meetings organized by about 15

institutes / social groups etc on

Consumerism, food / milk adulteration detection and

exhibited "Grahakpal" film. A

CGSI member was on the

evaluation committee of the

prestigious "Rajiv Gandhi National Quality Award."

On National Consumer Day 24

December 2013, Dr. Sitaram Dixit

and Mr. Datey appeared on DD

Sahyadri, Channel for a panel

discussion on `Consumerism’.

Dr. M.S. Kamath and Mr. Dinesh

Bhandare addressed a public

meeting organized by the

Department of Consumer Affairs, Govt. of Maharashtra.

Dr. M S Kamath, Hon. Secretary,

CGSI, participated in several

grievance redressal sessions on

IBN Lokmat TV channel through which the Consumer Helpline

message reached remote rural

areas of Maharashtra.

Helpline

We have been handling the

Consumer Helpline on behalf of

the Government of Maharashtra

through a five-year contract,

which is in its third year now. The statistics below will speak of the

yeoman service done:

COMPLAINTS RECEIVED THROUGH

Telephonic Calls 13930

Email 5662

In writing 138

CGSI presented all these

complaints to Manufacturers and

service providers for early resolution and recorded a success

rate exceeding 60% in complaint

resolution by these interactions.

Complaint Handling

We are one of the few consumer

organizations in the country who

do `face to face’ handling of

complaints; where complainants

bring all their papers, which we thoroughly scrutinize before giving

a solution to the problem. CGSI

handled over 400 such complaints

this year. CGSI also gave legal

advice on carrying forward their

complaints to the portals of justice to about 200 additional cases.

Applications to the government &

Municipalities, applications under

RTI and methods to approach and

deal with statutory authorities are

part of the regular work of the Complaints & Legal Aid

Committees.

Advocates Devika Purav,

Aishwarya, and Dr. Ghazala Shaikh of Complaints & Legal Aid

Cell of the CGSI have worked

themselves to a standstill in their

efforts to give consumers in all

walks of life, justice that they

would otherwise have been denied.

For the first time ever, a volunteer

Ms. Anindita Koovoor started the

tedious task of taking out past

records, calling complainants and recording the success of our

interventions with various groups

and individuals.

A consumer who had booked a flat got a Rs. 60 lakh refund from a

builder, thanks to our

intervention!

Success stories like these are

interspersed in the day-to-day work done by the CGSI and made

us a force to reckon with in the

NGO scene in Mumbai.

Representing consumer interest

CGSI represents consumer

interest and is nominated on or

invited by several statutory

authorities like Telecom

Regulatory Authority of India, Bureau of Indian Standards,

Insurance Regulatory and

Development Authority, Food and

Drugs Administration

(Government of Maharashtra) etc.

Our suggestions and advice are

well received often finding mention

in their reports. Even private

players in the Telecom Sector,

Banking Sector, Insurance Sector, and others take the advice of CGSI

and its office-bearers to arrive at

settlement of disputes. CGSI is

recognized as an investor

association by SEBI, NSE, & BSE.


CGSI is on various sectional

committees of the Bureau of

Indian Standards and on the Publicity Committee of its Mumbai

Regional office.

A CGSI Nominee is on the MERC

selection Board to select consumer

representatives in various committees in the state of

Maharashtra

Managing Committee

The current Managing Committee

is a cohesive group of persons

spending their time, money, and

effort to help the consumer cause.

Suggestions and methods to

implement them are the hallmark of every Managing Committee

Meeting held every month.

Our President is a source of

inspiration to all of us and our

Chairman has led the team with

ability and stability.

Finance & Accounts

The health of an organization is

seen in its Balance Sheet, which

looks very promising and robust

this year. If we were a Company giving Dividends, members who

joined 25 years ago would have

got a dividend of 600 %! Treasurer

Mr. Vilas Wagh and Joint

Treasurer Mr. Hemant Rajarshi have meticulously put the

accounts together under the

watchful eye of our Auditor Mr.

Sanjay Thopte and between them;

every rupee has been accounted

for and invested wisely.

Office Staff

The Office Staff led by Mr. V. M.

Kamat is the backbone of our

organization. The entire team of

employees has worked as one to

improve the image of CGSI. Sincerity and honesty have been

the guidelines for the employees of

CGSI.

Conclusion

To conclude, on behalf of the

Managing Committee, I thank

every member of CGSI for the

unstinted support through the

entire year and look forward to more support in all forms in the

year to come.

Dr. M. S. Kamath

Hon. Secretary

Consumer Guidance Society of India (CGSI) : Year 2013 – 2014

Trustees

Mr. S. D. Puri

Mr. Nooruddin Sevwala

Mr. Conrad Saldanha

President Mr. S. P. Upasani Vice-President Mr. Sanjay Kher

Managing Committee Chairperson Dr. Sitaram Dixit

Vice-Chairperson Dr. Arvind Varde

General Secretary Dr. M. S. Kamath

Joint Secretary (School & College Education) Mr. Dinesh Bhandare Joint Secretary (Navi Mumbai) Mr. Santosh Shukla

Treasurer Mr. Vilas Wagh

Joint Treasurer Mr. Hemant Rajarshi (Co-opted)

Director (Projects) Mr. B. V. Desai

Director (Legal matters) Prof. N. M. Rajadhyaksha

Members

Dr. Naren Israney Mr. Simon P. D’Costa

Mr. Anil Dhumak

Ms. Alka Nandi (Co-opted)*

Mr. Anil Karandikar (Co-opted)

Mr. Arun Datey (Co-opted)

Mr. Vikrant Jindal (Co-opted)

Invitees

Dr. S. G. Bhat - Editor (KEEMAT)

Ms. Jamna Vardhachary

Mr. Shirish Kamdar (Pune) Mr. Ninad Dixit

Mr. Ranjan Varma

Mr. Ram Talreja

Ms. Devika Purav

Ms. Aishwarya Sandeep

a) Whether accounts are maintained regularly in accordance with the provisions of the

Act and Rules : Yes

b) Whether receipts and Disbursements are properly and correctly shown in the accounts : Yes

c) Whether the cash balance and vouchers in the custody of manager or trustee on the date

of audit were in the agreement with the accounts : Yes

d) Whether all books ,deeds, accounts, vouchers or other documents or records were required by

auditors produced before him : Yes

e) Whether a register of immovable properties is properly maintained ,changes therein are comm- Trust does not own -

unicated from time to time to regional office ,and the defects and inaccuracies mentioned in - immovable property

the previous audit report have been duely complied with :

f) Whether the manager or trustees or any other person required by the auditor to appear before -

him did so and furnish necessary information required by him: Yes

g) Whether any property or funds of the Trust were applied for any object or purpose other than-

the object or the purpose of the Trust : No

h) The amount outstanding for than one year and the amount written off ,if any: NO

i) Whether the tenders /quotations were invited for repairs or construction involving expenditure exceeding-

Rs. 5,000/- : NA

j) Whether any money of the Public Trust has been invested contrary to the provisions of -

section 35 No

k) Alienation of if any ,of the immovable property of contrary to the provision of Section 36 -

which come to notice of the auditor : No

l) All cases of irregular ,illegal or improper expenditure ,or failure or omission to recover monies-

or other properties belonging to the Public Trust or loss or waste of money or other property- No such case

thereof and whether such expenditure, failure, omission ,loss or waste was in consequence of -

breach of trust or misapplication or any other misconduct on the part of the trustees or any -

other person while in the management of the Trust:

m) Whether the budget has been filed in the form proved by Rule 16 A : Yes

n) Whether the maximum and minimum number of the trustees is maintained : Yes

o) Whether the meetings are held regularly as provided in such instrument : Yes

p) Whether the minutes book of the proceedings of the meetings is maintained: Yes

q) Whether any of the trustees has any interest in the investments of the Trust : No

r) Whether any trustees is a debtor or creditors of the Trust ; No

s) Whether any irregularities pointed out by the auditors in the accounts of the previous year -

has been duely complied with by the trustees during the period of audit : NA

t) Any special matters which the auditor may think fit or necessary to bring to the notice of the -

Deputy or Assistant Charity Commissioner : No

BPT REGISTRATION NO. : F-1381 (BOM)

REPORT OF AN AUDITOR RELATING TO ACCOUNTS AUDITED

UNDER SUB-SECTION (2) OF SECTION 33 & 34 AND

RULE 19 OF THE BOMBAY PUBLIC TRUST ACT

NAME OF THE PUBLIC TRUST : CONSUMER GUIDANCE SOCIETY OF INDIA

FOR THE YEAR ENDING : 31 ST MARCH, 2014

Date : 30/05/2014 FOR M/S SANJAY R. THOPTE & CO.

CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS

Place : Mumbai CA SANJAY R. THOPTE

( Proprietor)

M. NO. 130099

KEEMAT: AGM Issue - June 2014 16


REPORT OF THE AUDITORS TO THE MEMBERS OF CONSUMER GUIDANCE SOCIETY OF INDIA 1. We have audited the attached Balance Sheet of CONSUMER GUIDANCE SOCIETY OF INDIA as at 31st March 2014

and also the Income and Expenditure Account for the year ended on that date annexed thereto. The financial statements are the responsibility of the Society’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audit.

2. We conducted our audit in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in India. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on the test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

3. a) We have obtained all the information and explanations, which to the best of our knowledge and belief were necessary for the purpose of our audit.

b) In our opinion, proper books of accounts as required by law have been kept by the society so far as appears from our examination of books.

c) The Balance Sheet and Income and Expenditure account dealt with by the report are in the agreement with the books of accounts. d) In our opinion and to the best of our information and according to explanations given to us, they said accounts give a true and fair view in conformity with the accounting principles generally accepted in India:

i. In the case of Balance Sheet of the state of affairs of the Society’s affairs as at 31st March, 2014 and ii. In the case of the Income and Expenditure Account of the surplus for the society for the year ended 31st March

2014. Place: Mumbai. FOR M/S SANJAY R. THOPTE & CO

CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS

DATE: 30.05.2014 CA SANJAY R. THOPTE (Proprietor) M. No. 130099

CONSUMER GUIDANCE SOCIETY OF INDIA

NOTES ON ACCOUNTS FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED ON: 31 MARCH, 2014

1. METHOD OF ACCOUNTING:

The accounts are prepared in accordance with the generally accepted accounting principles. The incomes are

recognized as when received and expenditures are recognized as and when spent except the provision for Audit fee, accrued interest on Fixed Deposit and T. D. S. payable.

2. FIXED ASSETS: The fixed assets are valued at cost less depreciation i.e. at W. D. V.

3. METHOD OF DEPRECIATION:

The Society has provided depreciation by adopting the rates prescribed in Appendix I (See Rule 5) of Income Tax Act,

1961

Depreciation on fixed assets acquired from Grant received from Bombay Stock Exchange is debited to Income and

Expenditure account and portion of Grant to the extent of depreciation credited income and expenditure account.

Depreciation on Fixed assets acquired from Grant received from Dept. of Consumer affairs, Govt. of Maharashtra for setting Consumer Help Line project, is not provided since these fixed assets are owned by the Dept. of Consumer affairs, Govt. of Maharashtra.

4. Consumer Education Fund:

The society has transferred Rs. 20,00,000/- as per Resolution passed at the Managing Committee Meeting held on 22nd March 2014 to the Consumer Education Fund for Educating ,Guiding, Protecting, and Promoting the interest of the consumers.

Adjusting Event occurring after the Balance Sheet Date:

Consumer Guidance society of India has transferred additional Rs. 12,00,000/- (totaling to Rs. 32,00,000/) to

Consumer Education Fund for Educating ,Guiding, Protecting and Promoting the interest of the consumers as per Resolution passed at the Managing Committee Meeting held on 17 May 2014.

5. Government Grant: During the year, the Consumer Guidance Society of India received grant of Rs. 23,00,000/- for

Recurring Expenses from the Dept. of Consumer Affairs Govt. of Maharashtra. The Consumer Guidance society of India has spent Rs. 16,67,930.50/- towards the Recurring Expenses of Consumer Help Line Project during the year ended 31st March 2014. The Consumer Guidance society of India has also spent Rs. 6,800/- for office equipments from the unutilized balance of Grant for Non-Recurring Expenses

6. Amount Receivable from Security Exchange Board Of India

Amount of Rs. 1,25,632/- is recoverable from SEBI in respect of reimbursement of seminar expenses is not received.


7. Quotations for purchase of Fixed Assets:

Quotations were invited for purchase of Locker (safe) for Rs. 75,146/- No quotations were received, hence purchased

from M/s. Accutech Infosystems Pvt. Ltd., during the year.

8. Cash payments more than Rs. 5,000/-

The following cash payments in excess of Rs. 5,000/- were made during the financial year 2013-14:

Date Particulars Amount 03.09.2013 Boarding and Lodging Exp. Rs. 10,156/- 04.09.2013 Boarding and Lodging Exp. Rs. 7,325/- 06.09.2013 Boarding and Lodging Exp. Rs. 15,010/- 13.02.2014 Chemicals for Oil testing Rs. 13,287/- Boarding and Lodging Exp. Rs. 7,100/- Explanations by the management: Boarding & Lodging expense, the nature of expense is legitimate for cash payment and the same requires to be incurred by paying cash. The Chemicals required for testing of Oil samples required to purchase on cash from Ultra Purity Chemicals Co. Mumbai.

9. Specific Corpus Fund a. Staff Welfare Fund – 1) Leela Jog Fund, 2) G. V. Sirur Fund b. Milk Testing Project – CWF New Delhi These funds are not utilized during the year.

10. Payments made to Managing Committee Members.

During the year the Consumer Guidance society of India has made the payments to the Managing committee

members as an allowance for outdoor work done in the various seminar/programs as per Resolution passed at the Managing Committee meeting:

Name of the member Amount (Rs.) Mr. Vikrant Jindal Rs. 1,500/- Dr. M. S. Kamath Rs. 5,500/- Mr. Dinesh Bhandare Rs. 14,750/- Mr. Santosh Shukla Rs. 6,500/- Mr. Arun Datey Rs. 9,000/-

Rs. 37,250/-

11. The Balance Sheet and Income & Expenditure A/C, figures are regrouped as and where felt necessary.

Advance for Traveling as per Balance Sheet includes unsettled amount of Rs. 33,807/- relating to the year ended on

31.03.2006 and the year ended 31.03.2007 respectively. As per our report of even date

FOR M/S SANJAY R. THOPTE &CO CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS

Date : 30 /05/2014. Place :Mumbai

CA SANJAY R. THOPTE (PROPRIETOR) M. No. 130099

FOR CONSUMER GUIDANCE SOCIETY OF INDIA (DR. SITARAM DIXIT) (SHRI. VILAS WAGH) (DR.M.S.KAMATH)

CHAIRMAN TREASURER HON . SECRETARY

CONSUMER GUIDANCE SOCIETY OF INDIA (CGSI) Block J, Azad Maidan, Mahapalika Marg, Mumbai 400001. Tel: 2262 1612, Fax: 2265 9715,

E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.cgsiindia.org

Toll Free Helpline: 1800 222262, Email: [email protected]

Printed, Published, & Edited by Dr. Subraya Giridhar Bhat on behalf of CGSI

Published from, Block J, Azad Maidan, Mahapalika Marg, Mumbai 400001.

Printed at Emkay Printers, Gala No: 47/57, Bharatbazar Industrial Estate, D. S. Road,

Worli, Mumbai 400018. Tel: 2492 4094.

EDITOR: DR. SUBRAYA GIRIDHAR BHAT

Gonsumer Grievance Camp 27th May at Mahim

KEEMAT AGM Issue – June 2014

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