Lok Sabha Question No. 3040 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-11
Subject: Grievance Redressal and National Consumer Helpline (NCH)
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Shri Captain Brijesh Chowta

## Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution

## Government of India Department of Consumer Affairs

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3040

TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.03.2026

## GRIEVANCE REDRESSAL AND NATIONAL CONSUMER HELPLINE (NCH)

3040.  SHRI CAPTAIN BRIJESH CHOWTA:

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

- (a) the details and the total number of complaints received from consumers in Dakshina Kannada district through the National Consumer Helpline (NCH) during the last three years, year and sector-wise;
- (b) the  average  time  taken for  resolution  of  such  complaints,  along  with  the  percentage  of  grievances successfully redressed within the prescribed timelines as per NCH or Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) norms;
- (c) whether the Government has undertaken any review of grievance redressal efficiency or complainthandling trends in Tier-II cities such as Mangalore and if so, the findings of such review; and
- (d) whether  the  Government  plans  to  establish  or  upgrade  any  regional  Consumer  Helpline  Centre  or outreach  unit  in  Mangalore  to  support  multilingual  grievance  handling,  consumer  awareness  and faster resolution and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (d) :  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  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.  1,398 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  details  of  the  total  number  of  complaints  received  from  consumers  in  Karnataka  including Dakshina Kannada district through the National Consumer Helpline (NCH) during the last three years, year and sector-wise is placed at the Annexure .

National Consumer Helpline has put in place a mechanism to address all the grievances received on the Helpline portal.  The average grievance disposal time over the last three years for the grievances received through CPGRAMS is provided in the table below:

|   Year |   Average disposal time (in days) |
|--------|-----------------------------------|
|   2023 |                                24 |
|   2024 |                                18 |
|   2025 |                                13 |

The Department regularly monitors grievance data and identifies non-convergence companies. NCH partners with companies who have a proactive approach to efficient consumer complaint resolution, and want to join the programme on a voluntary basis.  It shares with them the data of the complainants along with the complaints  received  at  NCH  related  to  their  company,  to  facilitate  free,  fair  and  fast  redressal  through participative cooperation providing win-win situation for both consumers and companies.

In  this  endeavour,  NCH  ensures  accountability  and  timely  resolution  of  consumer  complaints  by forwarding grievances to the convergence partners on a real-time basis. Once these companies are onboarded as  convergence partners, they are  required to prioritize  the swift and  effective  resolution  of  complaints  in collaboration with the NCH. This partnership helps to ensure better accountability and a quicker redressal of consumer  complaints,  ultimately  benefiting  consumers  across  the  country.    NCH  has  also  simplified  the process of registering the companies as convergence partners making it online, hassle-free and transparent.

A  feedback  mechanism  has  been  implemented,  enabling  consumers  to  share  their  feedback  and suggestions  by  visiting  the  web  link  at  https://consumerhelpline.gov.in/public/feedback    and  filling  out  a short form. The feedback and suggestions received are regularly analyzed to enhance consumer satisfaction and improve the effectiveness of the helpline.

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.

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ANNEXURE  REFERRED  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  TO  (d)  OF  LOK  SABHA  UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3040 FOR 11.03.2026 REGARDING GRIEVANCE REDRESSAL AND NATIONAL CONSUMER HELPLINE (NCH).

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Details  of  the  total  number  of  complaints  received  from  consumers  in  Karnataka  including  from Dakshina  Kannada  district  through  the  National  Consumer  Helpline  (NCH)  during  the  last  three years, year and sector-wise.

## Year-wise

|   S. No. | State                                                | 2023   | 2024   | 2025     |
|----------|------------------------------------------------------|--------|--------|----------|
|        1 | KARNATAKA (Including from Dakshina Kannada district) | 72,459 | 89,028 | 1,27,944 |

## Sector-wise

| 2023        |                       |        |
|-------------|-----------------------|--------|
| 1           | E- Commerce           | 30062  |
| 2           | Electronics Products  | 3864   |
| 3           | Banking               | 3287   |
| 4           | Agency Services       | 3046   |
| 5           | Consumer Durables     | 3012   |
| 6           | Telecom               | 2286   |
| 7           | Retail Outlets        | 2261   |
| 8           | Automobiles           | 1954   |
| 9           | Broadband &Internet   | 1793   |
| 10          | Digital Payment Modes | 1296   |
| 11          | Others                | 19598  |
| Grand Total | Grand Total           | 72,459 |

| 2024        |                      |        |
|-------------|----------------------|--------|
| 1           | E- Commerce          | 28582  |
| 2           | Food                 | 6935   |
| 3           | Agency Services      | 5097   |
| 4           | Consumer Durables    | 4821   |
| 5           | Electronics Products | 4489   |
| 6           | Broadband &Internet  | 4372   |
| 7           | Banking              | 3888   |
| 8           | Automobiles          | 2873   |
| 9           | Telecom              | 2696   |
| 10          | Travel &Tourism      | 2689   |
| 11          | Others               | 22586  |
| Grand Total | Grand Total          | 89,028 |

| 2025        | 2025                 | 2025     |
|-------------|----------------------|----------|
| S. No.      | Sector Name          | Total    |
| 1           | E- Commerce          | 35458    |
| 2           | Food                 | 10848    |
| 3           | Agency Services      | 7040     |
| 4           | Electronics Products | 6268     |
| 5           | Consumer Durables    | 5804     |
| 6           | Travel &Tourism      | 5337     |
| 7           | Broadband& Internet  | 4397     |
| 8           | Telecom              | 3966     |
| 9           | Automobiles          | 3656     |
| 10          | Banking              | 3560     |
| 11          | Others               | 41610    |
| Grand Total | Grand Total          | 1,27,944 |

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