2019

  • Maneka Gandhi released a CUTS publication that captures success stories of women empowerment and child protection since its inception.
  • 6th Biennial Conference on Competition, Regulation and Development resulted in the emergence of broad contours of an action agenda for stakeholders in developing countries to deal with the online economy.
  • Our impact assessment study showcasing the adverse impact of restricting cross border data flow on consumer welfare was shared with Shashi Tharoor, MP.
  • Partner in a global initiative by UNCTAD namely “eTrade for all” in order to make ecommerce inclusive and drive development.
  • Made a presentation before the Nandan Nilekani-led High-Level Committee on Deepening Digital Payments of RBI, which released a comprehensive report outlining a medium-term strategy for the deepening of digital payments.
  • Establishment of consumer watch groups at the County level to advocate for consumer rights protection and champion action by value chain actors to ensure the provision of safe food to the local communities.
  • CUTS Geneva celebrated its 10th Anniversary, and leaders from UNCTAD, WTO, ITC, OECD and EIF felicitated the Centre by their presence.

  • 2018

  • CUTS prepared a research report covering cost benefit analysis of select provisions and broad recommendations on potential regulatory alternatives. The report was well received by the media as well as policymakers and a presentation was delivered before the NITI Aayog and Ministry of Road, Transport & Highways. The same was also listed as a valuable resource for the MOVE Global Mobility Summit held at New Delhi in September 2018.
  • In April 2018, we launched our 6th Overseas Centre in Washington DC, USA to capture and promote the spirit of closer cooperation with the US on several economic and strategic issues in the context of Indo-Pacific region and in partnership with Australia and Japan, reaching out to Africa at the other end.

  • 2017

  • Signed an MoU with the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Secretariat to promote research on trade and development in the region. This is the third such MoU in Africa after similar ones signed with East African Community and African Union.
  • Our campaigning on consumer broadband labels led to public consultation by Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on how data speeds and broadband labels help in information disclosure.

  • 2015

  • Elected to the Council of Consumers International (CI) in the General Assembly held in Brasilia, Brazil in November 2015. Though CUTS is a member of CI since March 15, 1990, this is the first time it contested in the Council elections and became part of the CI Council.
  • Institute for Decentralized Electrification, Entrepreneurship and Education GmbH & Co. KG (Institute id-eee) has signed Memorandum of Understanding with CUTS on January 15, 2015 for undertaking joint research in the areas of rural electrification/renewable energy impacting economies, social and environmental bottom-line for rural development. Activities will be conducted on mutually agreed decisions.

  • 2014

  • Makerere University in Uganda launched a Centre for Climatic Change Research and Innovations (MUCCRI) in June 2014 took our research on ‘Climate, Food, Trade: Where is the Policy Nexus?’ as information resource to integrate the linkages between the three issues into the curriculum.
  • During its nascent stages, CUTS was requested by the Principal Secretary under the Ministry of East African Affairs, Commerce and Tourism to facilitate at the orientation retreat for the KECOPAC on September 16, 2014.
  • CUTS International Public Policy Centre (CIPPolC) was launched on July 04, 2014. The state-of-the-art centre would cater to the need of state’s national and international affairs of non-political class.

  • 2013

  • CUTS Lusaka’s interventions have continued to be captured in the WTO/OECD Aid for Trade (AfT) reports. This particular project was captured in the 2013 WTO/OECD report (AfT Showing Results) booklet and documentary. Preceding this development, a similar story was captured in the 2010 AfTT Report by WTO and OECD and this was under the EIF AfT Project by CUTS.
  • CUTS Lusaka was identified by Zambia Economic Advocacy Programme (ZEAP), a Department for International Development (DFID), UK run programme as one of the five top Think-Tanks in Zambia, using evidence-based policy advocacy on trade and economic issues.
  • CUTS Accra Centre was inaugurated on August 26, 2013. Having implemented projects on various elements of social and economic policy issues in Africa and other developing countries, CUTS realised that its experience as a civil society organisation (CSO) aiming to influence public policy through research would be vital in Ghana and the West Africa region (ECOWAS).

  • 2012

  • Pradeep S Mehta, Secretary General, CUTS has been included in the WTO high level panel formed to identify 21st century trade challenges. The panel will meet several times in 2012 and present a report to the WTO in early 2013
  • Member of the Alliance Against Hunger and Malnutrition – a global voluntary partnership where members share a common commitment to the rapid eradication of hunger and malnutrition in the world
  • From 2012, Business World (the largest circulating business weekly of India) has constituted International Business Awards for Indian companies under 10 different categories and constituted a panel of juries to decide those awards. CUTS has been invited to that panel

  • 2011

  • Accredited by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) as an Observer and will be able to represent and participate in the Trade and Development Board meetings and in the public intergovernmental meetings organised by UNCTAD
  • Accredited by Credibility Alliance’s Desirable Norms for a period of five years, i.e. April 29, 2011 to April 28, 2016

  • 2010

  • Member of the newly constituted National Road Safety Council of India
  • Member of the 45-member Central Advisory Committee of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)
  • Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) has registered CUTS as a Voluntary Consumer Organisation (VCO) for interacting on various consumer issues during the consultation process of the Board. The registration is valid for three years and the no. is PNGRB-VCO-02
  • Member of the distinguished Advisory Board of the American Antitrust Institute (AAI), Washington DC, US
  • CUTS Geneva signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the EAC Secretariat in 2010.

  • 2009

  • CUTS has been empanelled by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission as a consumer representative to protect the interests of electricity consumers which would also help in making consumer advocacy effective as well.

  • 2008

  • CUTS Geneva, established in 2008, catalyses the pro-trade, pro-equity voices of the Global South in international trade and development debates in Geneva as an international advocacy centre of CUTS.

  • 2007

  • The Planning Commission of India has appointed Pradeep S Mehta as member of its newly formed Working Groups on Consumer Protection and on Competition Policy under its 11th Five Year Plan.
  • Promoted competition reforms in over 30 developing countries in Asia and Africa through research, advocacy and networking.
  • Responsible for the design and enactment of the Indian Competition Act, 2002 and the Planning Commission’s Recommendation for a National Competition Policy for India.
  • Pradeep S Mehta has been invited to be a member of the Warwick Commission, which is looking into the future of the Global Trading System.
  • After implementing regional projects on competition policy and law and international trade issues, it was realised that there is an urgent need for further research and building capacity on trade and regulatory policy issues. Therefore, CUTS Hanoi Resource Centre was established in 2007.

  • 2005

  • A book entitled ‘Competition Regimes in the World – A Civil Society Report’ was released in the Fifth Review Conference of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), held in Antalya, Turkey during November 14-18, 2005. The prevailing competition regimes in about 120 countries are sewed together in this unique compilation.
  • The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) appointed Pradeep S Mehta in the Central Advisory Committee (CAC).
  • CUTS played host to an initiative taken by five Members of Parliament (MPs) to establish a forum of Parliamentarians on economic policy issues (PARFORE) where MPs, cutting across the party lines, would be able to air their views on a periodic basis on core economic issues. This was followed up by a similar initiative in Rajasthan.
  • Pradeep S Mehta held the Indian flag high flying high at the 4th International Competition Network (ICN) Annual Conference held in Bonn, Germany from June 05-08, 2005. He represented India in the absence of the competition authority, i.e. Competition Commission of India (CCI).
  • Pradeep S Mehta has been nominated on World Bank’s Trade Policy Evaluation Advisory Panel on May 03, 2005. The Panel is required to advise the Operations Evaluation Department (OED) on the design, conduct and outputs of the evaluation of the Bank’s lending and non-lending activities in the area of trade policy.
  • CUTS initiated the inception of CUTS Institute for Regulation and Competition (CIRC) keeping in mind the need for fair knowledge, better skills and improved capacity for understanding competition laws, economic regulations and commercial aspects of diplomacy. The Institute was launched in September 2005.
  • CUTS Lusaka’s report assisted the Ministry of Trade in Zambia to initiate the review of the 2005 Diagnostic Trade Integrated Study (DTIS). After the review, the revised DTIS highlights sectoral export potential and corresponding challenges. A Steering Committee has been formed by the Ministry of Trade and the World Bank, which includes CUTS.

  • 2003

  • CUTS Centre for Competition, Investment & Economic Regulation (CUTS CCIER) was established in the year 2003 to give a better identity to CUTS projects on the issue of competition and regulation.
  • International Network of Civil Society Organisations on Competition (INCSOC) was formed in the wake of the dissemination of the results of the 7Up project, for building a Network 2003, as a crying need was felt by several civil society organisations (CSOs) and other stakeholders of competition policy and law so that the competition regimes at the national level could be strengthened and developed where absent.
  • CUTS London Resource Centre (CUTS LRC) was established in February 2003, as an international advocacy centre of CUTS. It is working towards bridging the gap between the North and the South.

  • 2002

  • In the year 2002, CUTS filed a petition in the State Human Rights Commission, Rajasthan, demanding a ban of jeeps as public transport vehicles, as many accidents were occurring due to overloading of jeeps. Pursuant to this, CUTS was incorporated in the committee constituted for periodical checks of overloaded jeeps on the national highways.

  • 2001

  • The Ecofrig campaign launched by CUTS reached a milestone when one of the largest manufacturers of refrigerators in the country launched the first Ecofrig in India in January 2001.
  • CUTS, as a result of its work in the Power Sector has been nominated as a member of the Advisory Committee on Rajasthan Electricity Regulatory Commission (RERC) in the year 2001.

  • 2000

  • CUTS was instrumental in getting the World Consumer Rights Day falling on March 15 adopted as the National Consumers’ Day by the Government of India. In the year 2000, this day was changed from March 15 to December 24, the same day, on which COPRA was assented by the President.
  • CUTS is one of the two NGOs who are members of the Advisory Committee on International Trade, whose meetings are chaired by the Minister for Commerce and Industry, India, and also provides regular inputs to the Government of India on trade policy issues.

  • 1996

  • Acknowledging CUTS contributory work in the area of trade and development, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Geneva invited CUTS in 1996 to join its newly set-up International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) and its governing board.
  • CUTS is the only consumer NGO in India to be accredited by the United Nations Conference on Trade & Development (UNCTAD), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (UNCSD).

  • 1995

  • Pursuant to an appeal in 1995 on medical negligence by CUTS, the Supreme Court of India ruled that all government employees, even if they or their families get free medical treatment, would be entitled for coverage under COPRA. The landmark judgment settled the controversy of medical negligence being covered under COPRA.
  • CUTS is the most active member of the Consumers International (CI – formerly IOCU) in India. Along with CI staff, lobbied successfully at the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) meeting in Geneva, in July 1995, to expand the UN Guidelines for Consumer Protection, 1985 to include sustainable consumer patterns etc.

  • 1994

  • A milestone was achieved in June 1994, when the GATT Secretariat invited the Secretary General of CUTS, Pradeep S Mehta, to present a paper on internalisation of environmental costs through ecolabelling at the first-ever public symposium. According to a letter from the GATT, it was one of the best papers presented at the symposium.
  • CUTS published a highly acclaimed primer on GATT from the third world consumers’ perspective in 1993, which led to the International Organisation of Consumer Unions (IOCU) commissioning a paper on Trade and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) from CUTS. The primer also served as a reliable information kit for several Members of Parliament (MPs) in India and NGOs the world over.

  • 1993

  • International Organisation of Consumer Unions (IOCU) commissioning a paper on Trade and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) from CUTS. The primer also served as a reliable information kit for several Members of Parliament (MPs) in India and NGOs the world over.
  • CUTS launched a year-long Campaign Against Auto Pollution in Calcutta by holding a “For children’s sake” rally on Earth Day, 1993. On the ensuing World Environment Day, put a gas mark on Mahatma Gandhi’s statue, which was published on the front pages of leading newspapers.
  • CUTS succeeded in getting a toxic additive, Brominated Vegetable Oil banned for use in soft drinks in 1990, which led to widespread consumer awareness on health and safety issues.

  • 1992

  • CUTS launched a novel contest: ‘Find Garbage and Win a Prize’ in Calcutta in 1988 and Jaipur in 1992 to draw attention of both the authorities and citizens on the environment and health hazards resulted in immediate action.

  • 1991

  • As a result of the advocacy by CUTS (and VOICE), the Indian Ecomark scheme was launched in 1991. Consequently, CUTS was nominated as a member of the Technical Committee of the Ministry of Environment on Ecolabelling in the same year.
  • At the Global Non-governmental Organisation (NGO) Conference on Environment & Development at Paris in December, 1991, wherein over 850 social activists from all over the world participated, CUTS got a resolution adopted that the proposed Multilateral Trade Organisation proposed to be set up under the new General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) should have proportional representation from nations on the basis of their populations. Though this did not happen when the World Trade Organisation (WTO) came into being.

  • 1990

  • CUTS conceptualised and launched the World Poverty Day on November 01, 1990, which was adopted by the consumer movement in India in 1991. As a result of advocacy by CUTS, the UN adopted October 17 as the “International Day for the Eradication of Poverty” in 1993.

  • 1988

  • By a class-action petition under COPRA, CUTS ensured the legal and human rights of nearly 800 poor victims of adulteration in edible oil in Calcutta in 1988-90, commonly referred to as the Behala Oil Tragedy.
  • A unique honour was bestowed when CUTS was the only group in the country to serve on the Central, Rajasthan and West Bengal State Consumer Protection Councils during 1987-90.
  • By a series of litigations in the Rajasthan High Court on family planning mishaps in 1988, CUTS got the government policies of targeting changed, ensured a more humane treatment of women volunteers of sterlisation, and established an impartial enquiry system.
  • In 1988, CUTS ‘inaugurated’ the National Commission, the Rajasthan and the West Bengal State Commissions, set up under COPRA, not by cutting ribbons, but by filing the first complaints before each of these bodies.

  • 1987

  • CUTS obtained an unprecedented compensation of Rs 50,000 from Otis Elevator Co. for a lift accident victim without going to court in 1987. Mentioned in the Limca Book of Records.

Awards/Recognition


2019

  • Received State Award for effective interventions in the area of disability on February 25, 2019.

  • 2018

  • Received appreciation by District Election Commission, Chittorgarh for effective interventions in the area of electoral registration ⎼ meaningful and high voter turnout with greater participation from persons with disability under Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) Programme launched by the Election Commission of India.

  • 2017

  • Received the Trade Facilitation Innovation Award by United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) and Asian Development Bank in Yogyakarta, Indonesia in September 2017 based on a case study on India’s initiative to set up a Customs Clearance Facilitation Committee jointly with Customs Commissioner, Government of India.
  • Bhilwara district administration in southern Rajasthan, India applauded CUTS work on ‘CHILDLINE 1098’ which has reached out to 2728 children and resolved 617 cases in 2017.

  • 2016

  • Recognising its contribution in Urban Governance, the Government of Rajasthan conferred Swachh Rajasthan Award 2016 to CUTS. The award was given by Vasundhara Raje, Chief Minister of Rajasthan in Udaipur on December 22, 2016.

  • 2015

  • Received ‘Certificate of Appreciation’ from the World Bank in recognition of valuable contribution to the Global Partnership for Social Accountability (GPSA) Roster of Experts on November 03, 2015
  • CUTS received ‘WCO Certificate of Merit’ by the Central Board of Excise & Customs, Department of Revenue, Government of India for its work on Trade Facilitation in South Asia on the occasion of the International Customs Day of the World Customs Organisation at New Delhi, on January 27, 2015

  • 2013

  • George Cheriyan, Director, CUTS, has received the Rhoda Karpatkin Consumer International Award for 2013 for his contributions to welfare of consumers by The American Council on Consumer Interests (ACCI) in Portland, US. Cheriyan also delivered the Rhoda Karpatkin International lecture on the topic ‘Consumer Protection Regimes around the World with Special Reference to the State of the Indian Consumer’

  • 2009

  • CHD received an appreciation letter by Bharat Singh, State Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj on the occasion of Independence Day Celebrations at the district level in Chittorgarh, on August 15, 2009

  • 2008

  • Received the prestigious India Power Award 2008 for its outstanding networking and various outreach activities towards consumer empowerment by Dr M S Swaminathan, a noted Agriculture Scientist and Member of Parliament in New Delhi, on November 03, 2008.
  • Received M R Pai Memorial Award by Shyamala Gopinath, Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), for relentless campaign to educate consumers on, among others, competition and regulatory issues on April 09, 2008. The award carries a citation and a cheque of Rs 51,000.

  • 2002

  • Ratni Bai Khatik, a CUTS worker, was awarded the international prize ‘Creativity of Women in the Rural Life’ in the year 2002, by the Women World Summit Foundation, Geneva, Switzerland.

Policy Advocacy


2019

  • Invited by the Ministry of Finance of Ghana to make inputs into the 2019-2020 Fiscal Policy Document (Budget).
  • Our intensive interaction with Parliamentarians led to the passage of the Motor
    Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2019.
  • Advocated with policymakers/stakeholders to assess the Indian urban scenario to revisit the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act.
  • Our recommendation for declaring the Sonamura Daudkandi waterway stretch as Protocol Route was captured in the Joint Statement released during the visit of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh to India.
  • Our study on informal food vendors in Zambia showed how a low-priced variety of products contributes towards consumer welfare.
  • The Kenyan government has supported the development of the cassava value chain in Kenya, considering the climate change impacts on agriculture based on our research.
  • Established a dynamic channel for information and knowledge flow, especially on trade policy issues between EAC capitals and Geneva, the seat of WTO.
  • CUTS helped the EAC to propose a roadmap for future work on climate change and agriculture, which was later adopted by the whole UNFCCC membership.
  • A video documentary ‘1,000 Kilometres of a Truck Driver’ was showcased to facilitate the effective implementation of the BBIN MVA. An indirect impact of the exercise has been that the Government of Bhutan, who had earlier decided not to sign the BBIN MVA pact, is presently reconsidering its decision regarding BBIN MVA.

  • 2018

  • The prospects of allowing mechanised boats (20-50 tonne capacity) to navigate across border between Dhubri (India) and Chilmari (Bangladesh) by identifying the potential cargo as well as the socio economic benefits of cross border trade were highlighted by CUTS, and its recommendations were discussed in the 19th Standing Committee on Protocol, following which both were declared as ‘Ports of Call’ in the respective countries.
  • The PACT EAC2 project has contributed to Kenya’s new Trade Policy by inspiring a section on ‘Industrial and Agricultural Sector Linkage to Trade Development’, and was part of the drafting team of the Burundi’s Industrialisation Policy.
  • CUTS Geneva supported East African countries in drafting of a regional submission to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on the Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture. It also proposed a roadmap for the Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture, which the UNFCCC membership reflected in the outcomes of the Bonn Climate Conference in May 2018.

  • 2017

  • CUTS effort to promote agro-processing industry in East Africa as an effective weapon against climate change’s impact on agriculture leading to poverty reduction was captured in Kenya’s new Trade Policy as a policy measure.
  • Kenya’s Bomet County developed a draft Green Energy Policy to address key barriers on the basis of the baseline study done by CUTS Nairobi in February 2017. Other counties likely to follow suit.
  • CUTS produced a comprehensive study that included a practical mapping of the transportation situation in Delhi Mumbai-Industrial Corridor as well as other economic corridors among BBIN countries. The findings of this study were presented to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, which contributed to their knowledge base for ratifying the TIR Convention in June 2017.
  • Key recommendations from the India Bangladesh Border Haat study were included as part of the revised Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Border Haats signed between India and Bangladesh on April 08, 2017.

  • 2016

  • CUTS engaged with the Ministry of Shipping, Government of India for development of inland waterways for trade and transport. The Ministry subsequently acknowledged its efforts on inland waterways in 2016. Consequently, it declared 106 Additional National Waterways.
  • CUTS made several suggestions which were accepted by the RBI in the Operating Guidelines issued in October 2016, and endorsed by NITI Aayog’s Watal Committee in its Report on Promotion of Digital Payments published in December 2016.

  • 2015

  • Lobbied for the consideration of climate change issues in Rwanda’s trade policy agenda
  • Joined hands with SEATINI on a campaign for Uganda’s national trade agenda to address the implications of climate change and agriculture challenges on trade policy
  • In Tanzania, our advocacy efforts together with the Economic and Social Research Foundation contributed to a decision by the government to tackle rampant deforestation in the country through stronger regulation of the charcoal trade sector in the revised Forest Policy

  • 2014

  • The achievement through the project on the state of consumer protection in Kenya is the current development of the Health Bill, 2014 which when fully enacted, will be able to establish a unified health system. This is in response to the health challenges identified in the State of the Kenyan Consumer Report 2012 and in line with the recommendations in the report and Policy Brief by CUTS Nairobi

  • 2013

  • We created a new narrative for neighbouring countries to consider opening their bilateral trade with a view to support both their producers and consumers. It contributed to the shift in Pakistan’s trade policy in 2013 to use a ‘negative list’ approach while trading with India, which has helped normalising India-Pakistan trade relations as bilateral trade is happening on a greater number of products.
  • In 2013, research study ‘Climate, Food, Trade: Where is the Policy Nexus?’ materialised into the adoption of a section dedicated to ‘Trade and Environment’ in Kenya’s new National Environment Policy, whereby the government has undertaken to mainstream environmental considerations into the National Trade Policy

  • 2012

  • The recommendations by CUTS Nairobi have been captured in the National Transport and Safety Authority Act 2012 in a bid to address challenges under the public transport service
  • CUTS Nairobi received commitment from the ICT Minister on the implementation of the recommendations contained in both the report and the policy brief under project on the state of consumer protection in Kenya. One such regulation already developed is the Registration of Subscribers of Telecommunication Services) Regulations, 2012 in line with the first recommendation under telecommunication

  • 2005

  • CUTS Lusaka report formed part of the points of reference for the Ministry of Trade in Zambia to initiate the review of the 2005 DTIS. The latter has been officially reviewed and the current DTIS highlights the current sectors of export potential and their corresponding challenges

  • 1993

  • CUTS study on road safety in 1990 became the basis for the National Road Safety Policy in 1993, seeking to reduce the death level from road accidents. It was nominated to the National Road Safety Council twice, and its first high level Ministerial Committee was established to formulate the National Road Safety Policy.

    1986

  • CUTS is responsible for the enactment and strengthening of the dynamic Consumer Protection Act (COPRA), 1986 likes of which are not seen anywhere in the world.
  • CUTS organised a public debate in Calcutta in 1986 on the amended Commission of Enquiry Act, which curbed the right of people to know about a commission’s report, wherein the Union Law Minister, Asoke Sen, defended the motion. Subsequently, in 1989, the amendment was reversed.

  • 1984

  • CUTS filed the first unfair trade practices (UTPs) complaint in the Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission (MRTPC) in August 1984, which stopped the misleading sales of a hosiery dealer, forced matchbox manufacturers to ensure 50 sticks in a match box and exposed the double branding of cigarette manufacturers. The last action led to a change in the excise policy.