In 1984, we were a small voluntary group of concerned citizens operating out of a garage on a zero budget. Today, we operate out of five centres in India, two in Africa, and one in the UK, with a budget which exceeds Rs.60mn or about US$1.25mn and a staff strength of over 85 persons. The centres are located in Jaipur (head office), New Delhi, Chittorgarh and Calcutta in India, and in Lusaka, Zambia, Nairobi, Kenya and London, UK.
Our work is divided into five functional areas:
- consumer protection, which includes accountability, regulatory reforms etc.;
- trade and development;
- competition, investment and regulatory policies;
- sustainable production and consumption, including consumer safety;
- rural consumers and women’s empowerment.
The organisation elects its board/executive committee every three years, while the secretariat is headed by the Secretary General. Over 1200 individuals and 300 organisations are its members. The organisation is accredited to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development.
CUTS also works with several national, regional and international organisations, such as Consumers International, the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development, South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics & Environment, the Consumer Coordination Council of India, etc. It also serves on several policy-making bodies of the Government of India.