Lok Sabha Question No. 1633 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-07-30
Subject: Redressal of Consumer Complaints
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Shri Bidyut Baran Mahato, Shri Dilip Saikia, Shri Lumbaram Choudhary, Shri Anurag Sharma, Shri Dineshbhai Makwana

## Government of India

## Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Department of Consumer Affairs

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1633

TO BE ANSWERED ON 30.07.2025

## REDRESSAL OF CONSUMER COMPLAINTS

## 1633.   SHRI LUMBARAM CHOUDHARY:

(OIH) SHRI ANURAG SHARMA:

SHRI DINESHBHAI MAKWANA:

SHRI DILIP SAIKIA:

SHRI BIDYUT BARAN MAHATO:

## Will the Minister of CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION be pleased to state:

- (a) the measures taken by the Government to strengthen consumer protection and ensure better redressal of consumer complaints; and
- (b) the initiatives being taken by the Government to make consumers aware of their rights and to protect them from fraud, misleading marketing and low quality products?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SHRI B.L. VERMA)

(a)  and  (b)  :  Department  of  Consumer  Affairs  is  continuously  working  for  consumer  protection  and empowerment  of  consumers  by  enactment  of  progressive  legislations.  With  a  view  to  modernize  the framework governing the consumer protection in the new era of globalization, technologies, e-commerce markets etc. Consumer Protection Act, 1986 was repealed and Consumer Protection Act, 2019 was enacted.

Salient features of the new Consumer Protection Act, 2019 are establishment of a Central Consumer Protection Authority(CCPA); simplification of the adjudication process in the Consumer Commissions such as  enhancing  pecuniary  jurisdiction  of  the  Consumer  Commissions,  online  filing  of  complaint  from  the Consumer Commission having jurisdiction over the place of work/residence of the consumer irrespective of the place of transaction, videoconferencing for hearing, deemed admissibility of complaints if admissibility is not decided within 21 days of filing; provision of product liability; penal provisions for manufacture/sale of adulterated products/spurious goods; provision for making rules for prevention of unfair trade practice in e-commerce and direct selling.

The Consumer Protection Act, 2019 provides for a three tier quasi-judicial machinery at District, State  and  Central  levels  commonly  known  as  'Consumer  Commissions'  for  protection  of  the  rights  of consumers and to provide simple and speedy redressal of consumer disputes including those related with unfair trade practices. The Consumer Commissions are empowered to give relief of a specific nature and award compensation to consumers, wherever appropriate.

To safeguard the interests of consumers from unfair trade practices in e-commerce, the Department of Consumer Affairs has notified the Consumer Protection (E-commerce) Rules, 2020 under the provisions of  the  Consumer Protection Act, 2019. These  rules, inter-alia, outline the responsibilities of e-commerce entities and specify the liabilities of marketplace and inventory e-commerce entities, including provisions for consumer grievance redressal.

Under  the  provisions  of  the  Consumer  Protection  Act,  2019,  the  Central  Consumer  Protection Authority (CCPA), an executive agency, came into existence on 24.07.2020. It is designed to intervene, to prevent consumer detriment arising from unfair trade practices and to initiate class action(s), including the enforcement of recalls, refunds and return of products. Its core mandate is to prevent and regulate false or misleading advertisements which are prejudicial to the public interest.

The  CCPA  has  also  notified  the  Guidelines  for  Prevention  of  Misleading  Advertisements  and Endorsements for Misleading Advertisements, 2022 on 9th June, 2022. These guidelines inter-alia provide for; (a) conditions for an advertisement to be non-misleading and valid; (b) certain stipulations in respect of bait  advertisements  and  free  claim  advertisements;  and,  (c)  duties  of  manufacturer,  service  provider, advertiser and advertising agency. These guidelines states that due diligence is required for endorsement of advertisements such that any endorsement in an advertisement must reflect the genuine, reasonably current opinion of the individual, group or organisation making such representation and must be based on adequate information about, or experience with, the identified goods, product or service and must not otherwise be deceptive.

The  CCPA,  in  exercise  of  the  powers  conferred  by  Section  18  of  the  Consumer  Protection  Act, 2019, has issued 'Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023' on 30th November, 2023  for  prevention  and  regulation  of  dark  patterns  listing  13  specified  dark  patterns  identified  in  eCommerce sector. These dark patterns include false urgency, Basket Sneaking, Confirm shaming, forced action, Subscription trap, Interface Interference, Bait and switch, Drip Pricing, Disguised Advertisements, Nagging, Trick Wording, Saas Billing and Rogue Malwares.

Further  to  strengthen  consumer  protection,  the  CCPA  enacted  the  Guidelines  for  Prevention  and Regulation of Greenwashing and Misleading Environmental Claims, 2024 (effective 15th October 2024), mandating  transparency  in  environmental  claims,  and  the  Guidelines  for  Prevention  of  Misleading Advertisements  in  the  Coaching  Sector,  2024  (effective  13th  November  2024),  addressing  false  claims, exaggerated success rates, and unfair practices in coaching institutes.

The National Consumer Helpline (NCH) administered by the Department of Consumer Affairs has emerged as a single point of access to consumers across the country for their grievance redressal at a prelitigation stage. Consumers can register their grievances from all over the country in 17 languages including Hindi,  English,  Kashmiri,  Punjabi,  Nepali,  Gujarati,  Marathi,  Kannada,  Telugu,  Tamil,  Malayalam, Maithili,  Santhali,  Bengali,  Odia,  Assamese  and  Manipuri  through  a  toll-free  number  1915.  These grievances can be registered on Integrated Grievance Redressal Mechanism (INGRAM), an omni-channel IT enabled central portal, through various channels- WhatsApp (8800001915), SMS (8800001915), email (nch-ca@gov.in), the NCH app, the web portal (consumerhelpline.gov.in) and the Umang app, as per their convenience.  1,110 companies, who have voluntarily partnered with NCH, as part of the 'Convergence' programme directly respond to these grievances according to their redressal process and revert by providing a feedback to the complainant on the portal. Complaints against those companies, who have not partnered with National Consumer Helpline, are forwarded to the company for redressal.

The technological transformation of the NCH has significantly boosted its call-handling capacity. The number of calls received by NCH has  grown more than tenfold, from 12,553 in December  2015 to 1,55,138  in  December  2024.  This  exponential  growth  reflects  the  rising  confidence  of  consumers  in  the helpline. Similarly, the average number of complaints registered per month has surged from

37,062  in  2017  to  1,11,951  in  2024.  Additionally,  grievance  registration  via  WhatsApp  has  gained momentum, with  the  percentage  of  complaints  filed  through  the  platform  increasing  from  3%  in  March 2023 to 20% in March 2025, demonstrating a growing preference for digital communication channels.

In a significant move to further enhance grievance redressal, NCH has introduced AI-based Speech Recognition,  a  Translation  System,  and  an  AI  enabled  Chatbot  as  part  of  the  NCH  2.0  initiative.  These technological  advancements  aim  to  make  the  grievance  filing  process  more  seamless,  efficient,  and inclusive.  The  AI-powered  Speech  Recognition  and  Translation  System  enables  consumers  to  file complaints through voice input, reducing manual intervention. The AI enabled Chatbot provides real-time assistance,  streamlining  complaint-handling  processes,  and  improving  the  overall  user  experience.  These upgrades  ensure  that  consumers  from  diverse  linguistic  backgrounds  have  equal  access  to  the  grievance redressal system.

The  website  of  the  National  Consumer  Helpline  (NCH)  has  also  been  upgraded  to  serve  as  the central  point  of  access  for  consumers  across  India  seeking  grievance  redressal  at  the  pre-litigation  stage. This website includes enhanced functionality, modern features, and improved navigation with a user-centric design.  It  incorporates  advanced  features,  offering  faster  grievance  resolution  and  a  more  efficient  user experience.

The  Department  of  Consumer  Affairs has been implementing  a scheme  titled  'Consumer Awareness'.  Under  the  Scheme,  the  Department  of  Consumer  Affairs  has  been  conducting  countrywide multimedia  awareness  campaigns  titled  'Jago  Grahak  Jago'.  Consumers  are  made  aware  of  unfair  trade practices, grievance redressal mechanisms, Hallmarking, ISI products, and various other consumer related issues through various  media  like TV, radio, cinema theatres, IVRS, fairs & festivals as well as digital media like Youtube etc. Under the scheme, Grant-in-Aid are also provided to States / UTs for carrying out activities  on  consumer  awareness  with  local  content  in  regional  level.  The  Department  has  been  actively using social media with various creatives, infographics and videos for consumer awareness.

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