Thoughtful Words
A sincere word of appreciation has always acted as a true and constant source of encouragement and inspiration, which drives one to strive towards continuous efforts and performance. Ever since its inception, CUTS has been working on a range of subjects that include Consumer Protection, Competition, International Trade, Investment, and Economic Regulation. Over the past few years, its efforts have been duly recognised and has successfully generated widespread laudation from people, civil society organisations, regulatory bodies and policy makers across the globe. These words have come to us in various forms, cutting across different stakeholder groups and have produced a ripple impact on our working and approach. Notable among these laudation and appreciation include:
Click Here for Letters of Appreciation
“… Regarding the independence issue, Pradeep Singh Mehta, the expansive and highly successful head of the omnipresent advocacy group Consumer Unity & Trust Society (CUTS), once asked me to write something on it. They later published some of it as a discussion paper
(www.cuts-international.org/pdf/Institutional_Independence_in_India.pdf) …”
T C A Srinivasa-Raghavan
“…Many thanks for your good wishes. I know that you are my well-wisher. I appreciate your contribution in the field of regulatory reforms….”
Nripendra Misra
Principal Secretary to Prime Minister, India
“…I wish to recognize the support and assistance that the Ministry has received from other Ministries and stakeholders such as the University of Namibia, NEPRU and the Consumer Unity and Trust Society (CUTS) in India during the drafting of the competition law and the process leading to the establishment of the Competition Commission. I am counting on their continued support to the Commission when so required in future…”
Hages G. Geingob
Minister of Trade and Industry, Namibia
“UNCTAD cooperates closely with civil society to increase awareness of the benefits of competition policy for consumers and for economic development in general. In this respect, CUTS and UNCTAD have a long history of collaboration on creating a competition culture in the developing world. It is, thus, a pleasure for me to commend the long term efforts undertaken in this field by CUTS.”
Supachai Panitchpakdi
Secretary-General, UNCTAD
“Some non-governmental organisations (NGOs), especially consumer groups, can be strong allies for competition policy and law, because they know how it can benefit consumers. Donors could find it effective to fund relevant work by reform-minded NGOs, especially those based in developing countries. For example, the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) has funded research and advocacy programmes (such as the CUTS 7Up Projects) that include participation by local consumer groups, and has funded the preparation of materials by Consumers International for use by consumer organisations.”
Organisation for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD)
“UNCTAD has a tradition of engaging with civil society in all areas of its work, and this has been particularly the case in the field of competition and consumer policies. CUTS is one such active civil society organisation which has a long history of cooperation with UNCTAD. It has shared and effectively supported our objective of creating a competition culture in the developing world, conducive to a more efficient, but also more equitable world economy contributing to poverty alleviation. With its 7Up2 project, CUTS has added its vital touch to UNCTAD’s pioneering work in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Nepal, expanding the realm of stakeholders to improve their understanding and strengthening their support for nascent competition laws and policies in those countries.”
Philippe Brusick
Former Head, Competition & Consumer Policy Branch
Division of International Trade, UNCTAD
“The Consumer Unity & Trust Society, based in Jaipur, has been in the forefront of efforts by means of well-documented studies and purposefully organised workshops to evolve policies and measures bearing on the process of liberalisation, demands of competitive environment and consequences of globalisation, with consumer interests as its primary focus. With its constructive spirit, it has been able to forge fruitful relations with official agencies, corporate enterprises and other players and stakeholders, and establish productive links with kindred organisations abroad. One of the most notable contributions it has made is to prepare, based on a series of seminars, a set of recommendations for ensuring the autonomy, credibility, effectiveness and accountability of regulatory bodies, particularly in the infrastructure sector so vital for faster economic growth.“
B.S. Raghavan
Noted Columnist
The Business Line, September 12, 2005
“I was in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in March for a conference to discuss the findings of a research project on the environment for competition in Africa. It was organised by Consumer Unity &Trust Society of Jaipur, a consumer activist and research organisation, perhaps the only Indian non-governmental organisation with offices in Nairobi and Lusaka, collaborative African research institutions and a substantial information base about laws and practices in competition. Also engaged in research, advocacy and consulting, CUTS had local research teams in many African countries to study competition law, policy and regulation.”
S.L. Rao
Noted Columnist
The Telegraph, April 10, 2006
“Starting from a small consumer protection organisation about two decades ago, the Consumer Unity and Trust Society has become an important and large NGO with interests in trade policy and competition. Over the past three years, especially, it has managed to collect some formidable talent and put it to work on these issues. It has thus honed policy advocacy to a fine art. (I too have been associated with CUTS research). Its latest offering ‘Towards a Functional Competition Policy for India’ is rich in both information and analysis and therefore well worth at least a leisurely browse.”
TCA Srinivasa Raghavan
Noted Columnist
Business Standard, January 28, 2005