Lok Sabha Question No. 6056 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-04-01
Subject: Brand Fraud on e-Commerce Platforms
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Shri Imran Masood

## Government of India

## Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution

## Department of Consumer Affairs

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 6056 (OIH) TO BE ANSWERED ON 01.04.2026

## BRAND FRAUD ON E-COMMERCE PLATFORMS

6056.  SHRI IMRAN MASOOD:

(OIH)

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

- (a) whether the Government has developed an Artificial Intelligence (AI) based monitoring system to prevent counterfeit products and brand fraud on e-commerce platforms;
- (b) if so, the working mechanism of the said system;
- (c) whether the said system has been linked to the consumer grievance redressal mechanism and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether  the  said  step  has  led  to  a  reduction  in  the  time  taken  for  the  redressal  consumer complaints; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

(a)  to  (e):  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 pre-litigation 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  technological  transformation  of  the  NCH  has  significantly  boosted  its  call-handling capacity. The number of calls received by NCH has grown from 62,172 calls in December 2019 to 3,59,336  calls  in  December  2025.  This  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 1,47,635 in 2025. Additionally, grievance registration via WhatsApp has gained momentum, with the percentage of complaints filed through the platform increasing from 12% in December 2023 to 21% in December 2025 demonstrating a growing preference for digital communication channels.

The website of the National Consumer Helpline (NCH) has been upgraded to serve as the central point  of  access  for  consumers  across  India  seeking  grievance  redressal  at  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.

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 realtime 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 National Consumer Helpline (NCH) has successfully facilitated refund of ₹52 crore to consumers between 25th April 2025 and 31st January 2026. This significant redressal was achieved across 31 sectors, effectively addressing 79,521 consumer grievances related to refund claims.

NCH has put in place a mechanism to address all the grievances received on the Helpline portal. The average grievance disposal time for the grievances received through CPGRAMS in 2025 was 13 days.

The Department has launched 'e-Jagriti' portal on 1st January, 2025, which aims to enhance consumer  grievance  redressal  through  Artificial  Intelligence  /  Machine  Learning  integration  and modern features like faceless onboarding and role-based dashboards. It unifies existing applications (OCMS, eDaakhil, NCDRC CMS, CONFONET) into a single, scalable platform, allowing users to file complaints seamlessly from anywhere with multilingual support. The portal is designed to provide a convenient,  transparent  and  efficient  means  for  consumers  to  seek  redressal  by  enabling  online complaint filing, digital submission of documents, online payment of fees and also supports virtual courtrooms,  enabling  the  hearing  of  cases  remotely  and  ensuring  faster  disposal  while  reducing dependency on physical infrastructure. These features address bottlenecks like geographical barriers, scheduling conflicts and manual interventions. Further, VC equipment for conducting hearing through video conferencing mode has already been installed and made functional at 10 benches of the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) and 35 benches of State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions (SCDRCs).

e-Jagriti has reduced reliance on physical proceedings and has accelerated justice delivery. The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, (NCDRC) and Consumer Commissions in 12 States / UTs have achieved disposal rates above 100% after July, 2025. In 2025, 1,62,474 cases were filed and 1,50,197 disposed of, that outperformed the disposal rate of the year 2024. Also, 679 NonResident  Indians  (NRIs)  registered  their  complaints  using  e-Jagriti  portal  from  abroad  till  28th February, 2026.

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