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The present investigation was carried out to know the awareness of rural women regarding labels on packed food and textile items, quality assurance marks and consumer protection rights. The study was conducted on 120 rural women from four villages of Ludhiana district. Purposive sampling technique was used for sample selection and data were collected through an interview schedule. The results indicated that majority of the respondents had no knowledge about care symbols on textile goods, nearly 1/3 rd of respondents looked for Maximum Retail Price (MRP), manufacturing date and expiry date while purchasing packed food items. Almost all the respondents never looked for other details on labels. More than 90.00 per cent of respondents were unaware of Agmark, FPO, ISO and ECO mark, whereas more than 80.00 per cent of women were aware of ISI and Woolmark, but all of them were unable to distinguish between original clone ISI mark. Upto or less than five per cent of respondents had knowledge about Consumer Protection Rights and Act. So, there is a strong need to create consumer awareness among rural women through extension training programmes, consumer clubs and electronic media to avoid exploitation of rural consumers.

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: Detergent cakes and washing powders have become an inseparable part of every homemaker's life (Vajpeyi, 1999). The market offers a variety of cleansing agents. A variety of cleansing agents such as synthetic cleaners, detergent powders, acidic and alkaline cleaners are available in the market. Different methods of cleaning are followed in each household and accordingly the preference for cleansing agents varies. The present study was conducted to know the consumption pattern of cleansing agents among respondents and problems experienced while using these. The study was conducted on sample of sixty respondents from two localities of Ludhiana city, selected by using simple random sampling technique. The data were collected through personal interview using interview schedule. The results of the survey revealed that commercial liquid cleansing agents were found to be the most popularly used cleansing agents for household cleaning. The average quantity of commercial liquid cleansers being used was 1.76 l / month and average monthly expenditure on these cleaners was Rs. 102. Floor tiles and toilet bowls were washed daily by more that 50 per cent of respondents. As high as 80 per cent of respondents faced the problem of dryness of skin by using detergent powder, around 22.0 per cent respondents reported breathing problems by using commercial liquid cleansing agents.

The present study was conducted to know the consumption pattern of cleansing agents among respondents and problems experienced while using these. The present study was conducted in two phase's i.e. household survey and laboratory experiments. In first phase a sample of sixty respondents from two localities of Ludhiana city, selected by using simple random sampling technique, was surveyed by personal interview using structured interview schedule. The results of the survey revealed that commercial liquid cleansing agents were found to be the most popularly used cleansing agents for household cleaning. The average quantity of commercial liquid cleansers being used was 1.76 l / month and average monthly expenditure on these cleaners was Rs. 102. Floor tiles and toilet bowls were washed daily by more that 50 per cent of respondents. As high as 80 per cent of respondents faced the problem of dryness of skin by using detergent powder, around 22.0 per cent respondents reported breathing problems by using commercial liquid cleansing agents.