Lok Sabha Question No. 4255 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-18
Subject: Digital Consumer Justice and Enforcement of Consumer Commission Orders
Ministry: CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
Asked by: Smt. Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo

## Government of India

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4255 TO BE ANSWERED ON 18.03.2026

## DIGITAL CONSUMER JUSTICE AND ENFORCEMENT OF CONSUMER COMMISSION ORDERS

## 4255.  SMT. SANGEETA KUMARI SINGH DEO:

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

- (a) whether  the  Government  has  assessed  the  impact  of  digital  platforms  such  as  E-Jagriti (CONFONET 2.0) and National Consumer Helpline (NCH 2.0) on pendency, disposal timelines and access to consumer justice in eastern States including Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal;
- (b) if so, the details of cases filed, disposed of and pending in Consumer Commissions before and after the rollout of these digital initiatives, State-wise;
- (c) whether the Government has identified challenges in execution and compliance of Consumer Commission orders particularly in rural and geographically dispersed districts and if so, the corrective measures taken or proposed to be taken by the Government in this regard;
- (d) whether any capacity-building, infrastructure or training support has been provided to State and District Consumer Commissions to effectively use digital tools such as video hearings and AIbased case management, if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the details of the steps being taken by the Government to address emerging unfair trade practices and dark patterns in digital markets?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (c)  : The e-Daakhil portal, launched in 2020, facilitated online filing, fee payment and case monitoring. Further, to modernize the existing applications with the latest technologies, the Department has  launched  'e-Jagriti'  portal  (CONFONET  2.0)  on  1st  January,  2025,  which  aims  to  enhance consumer grievance redressal through a micro-service architecture, Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning integration and modern features like faceless onboarding and role-based dashboards. It unifies existing applications (OCMS, e-Daakhil, 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.

The  details  regarding  the  number  of  consumer  cases  filed  and  disposed  in  the  consumer commissions including Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal during the last two years are at Annexure I .

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.

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.

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 at a pre-litigation stage was achieved across 31 sectors, effectively addressing 79,521 consumer grievances related to refund claims. The details of grievances  registered on NCH including the States of  Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal during the last two years are at Annexure II .

National Consumer Helpline has put in place a mechanism to address all the grievances received on  the  Helpline  portal.    The  average  grievance  disposal  time  for  grievances  received  through CPGRAMS in 2025 was 13 days, compared to 18 days in 2024.

(d) The  responsibility  for  establishment  of  Consumer  Commissions  in  the  States  as  well  as providing all necessary infrastructure for their effective functioning rests with the State Governments. However, the Central Government has been extending financial assistance under the Strengthening of Consumer Commissions (SCC) Scheme to the State Governments to meet the gaps in resources for ensuring a basic minimum infrastructure (both building and non-building) required for the effective functioning of the Consumer Commissions and for honouring the shared responsibility of consumer protection.

Under the SCC scheme, the Central Government's assistance for building purposes, is  limited to creation of built up area of 5,000 square feet in respect of a District Commission building and 11,000 square feet in respect of a State Commission building, which include 1000 square ft. for construction of a Mediation Centre (both for State Commission and District Commission).

Assistance for non-building assets is released within the overall cost ceiling of Rs. 25.00 lakh in respect of a State Commission and Rs. 10.00 lakh in respect of a District Commission, irrespective of the location of the Consumer Commission.

The Department of Consumer Affairs also administers a scheme titled 'Computerization & Computer Networking of Consumer Commissions' (CONFONET), under which, IT infrastructure of consumer  commissions  is  strengthened  by  way  of  providing  computer  hardware,  software  and technically skilled manpower. Under this scheme, VC equipment for conducting hearing through video conferencing mode has 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) : Under the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) is empowered to intervene for preventing consumer detriment arising from unfair trade practices through issuance of guidelines and class action(s), including   the   enforcement   of recalls, refunds and return of products. It has the mandate to prevent and regulate false or misleading advertisements which are prejudicial to the public interest.

The  CCPA  has  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.

Central Consumer Protection Authority, in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 18 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, issued 'Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023' on 30th November, 2023, listing 13 specified dark patterns identified in e-Commerce 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.

An  'Advisory  in  terms  of  Consumer  Protection  Act,  2019  on  Self-Audit  by  E-Commerce Platforms for detecting the Dark Patterns on their platforms to create a fair, ethical and consumer centric digital ecosystem' was issued by Central Consumer Protection Authority on 5th June, 2025.  All ECommerce platforms have been advised to conduct self-audits to identify dark patterns, within three months of the issue of the advisory and give self-declarations that their platform is not indulging in any dark patterns. 29 leading e-commerce platforms have voluntarily submitted their self-declaration letters confirming compliance with the Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023.

## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (c) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION  NO.  4255  TO  BE  ANSWERED  ON  18.03.2026  REGARDING  DIGITAL  CONSUMER JUSTICE AND ENFORCEMENT OF CONSUMER COMMISSION ORDERS.

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| Sl. No.   | Year                                   | 2024            | 2024                                                                               | 2025            | 2025                                                                               | 2026 (till 28.02.26)   | 2026 (till 28.02.26)                                                        |
|-----------|----------------------------------------|-----------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Sl. No.   | Year                                   | Number of Cases | Number of Cases                                                                    | Number of Cases | Number of Cases                                                                    | Number of Cases        | Number of Cases                                                             |
| Sl. No.   | Year                                   | Filed           | Disposed (also includes the cases disposed which were filed in the previous years) | Filed           | Disposed (also includes the cases disposed which were filed in the previous years) | Filed                  | Disposed (also includes the cases disposed which were filed in the previous |
| 1.        | NCDRC                                  | 4546            | 6953                                                                               | 3402            | 4908                                                                               | 276                    | years) 577                                                                  |
| 2.        | ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR ISLANDS            | 11              | 1                                                                                  | 11              | 2                                                                                  | 3                      | 0                                                                           |
| 3.        | ANDHRAPRADESH                          | 3434            | 2672                                                                               | 3563            | 2618                                                                               | 665                    | 380                                                                         |
| 4.        | ARUNACHAL PRADESH                      | 40              | 26                                                                                 | 26              | 26                                                                                 | 2                      | 3                                                                           |
| 5.        | ASSAM                                  | 552             | 552                                                                                | 513             | 408                                                                                | 85                     | 45                                                                          |
| 6.        | BIHAR                                  | 3928            | 3293                                                                               | 3268            | 3153                                                                               | 580                    | 386                                                                         |
| 7.        | CHANDIGARH                             | 1741            | 1902                                                                               | 1406            | 1810                                                                               | 219                    | 270                                                                         |
| 8.        | CHHATTISGARH                           | 3077            | 4817                                                                               | 2791            | 4032                                                                               | 494                    | 526                                                                         |
| 9.        | DELHI                                  | 6418            | 6525                                                                               | 5574            | 5204                                                                               | 1008                   | 1048                                                                        |
| 10.       | DADRA AND NAGAR HAVELIANDDAMAN AND DIU | 19              | 0                                                                                  | 0               | 0                                                                                  | 0                      | 0                                                                           |
| 11.       | GOA                                    | 285             | 231                                                                                | 288             | 213                                                                                | 42                     | 40                                                                          |
| 12.       | GUJARAT                                | 18152           | 12583                                                                              | 18280           | 12553                                                                              | 2539                   | 1982                                                                        |
| 13.       | HARYANA                                | 13214           | 9674                                                                               | 12385           | 9676                                                                               | 1932                   | 1390                                                                        |
| 14.       | HIMACHAL PRADESH                       | 2280            | 2154                                                                               | 2280            | 1845                                                                               | 273                    | 242                                                                         |
| 15.       | JHARKHAND                              | 1389            | 1387                                                                               | 1261            | 880                                                                                | 202                    | 111                                                                         |
| 16.       | JAMMU &KASHMIR                         | 46              | 160                                                                                | 317             | 84                                                                                 | 31                     | 27                                                                          |
| 17.       | KARNATAKA                              | 11872           | 10244                                                                              | 10630           | 10923                                                                              | 1845                   | 1652                                                                        |
| 18.       | KERALA                                 | 12003           | 6778                                                                               | 12018           | 8130                                                                               | 1783                   | 1144                                                                        |
| 19.       | LAKSHADWEEP                            | 2               | 2                                                                                  | 2               | 0                                                                                  | 0                      | 0                                                                           |
| 20.       | MADHYAPRADESH                          | 10624           | 14885                                                                              | 10548           | 13800                                                                              | 1827                   | 1684                                                                        |
| 21.       | MAHARASHTRA                            | 15918           | 14939                                                                              | 16434           | 14937                                                                              | 2261                   | 2079                                                                        |
| 22.       | MANIPUR                                | 91              | 35                                                                                 | 127             | 91                                                                                 | 13                     | 2                                                                           |
| 23.       | MEGHALAYA                              | 68              | 50                                                                                 | 56              | 60                                                                                 | 7                      | 7                                                                           |
| 24.       | MIZORAM                                | 99              | 67                                                                                 | 125             | 55                                                                                 | 13                     | 12                                                                          |
| 25.       | NAGALAND                               | 28              | 3                                                                                  | 23              | 14                                                                                 | 0                      | 0                                                                           |
| 26.       | ODISHA                                 | 5844            | 4911                                                                               | 5631            | 3948                                                                               | 850                    | 473                                                                         |
| 27.       | PUDUCHERRY                             | 157             | 169                                                                                | 172             | 174                                                                                | 16                     | 17                                                                          |
| 28.       | PUNJAB                                 | 8536            | 6815                                                                               | 6206            | 7280                                                                               | 875                    | 1015                                                                        |
| 29.       | RAJASTHAN                              | 12397           | 10741                                                                              | 11975           | 12473                                                                              | 1486                   | 1991                                                                        |

| 30.   | SIKKIM        |     87 |     29 |     20 |      1 |     5 |     1 |
|-------|---------------|--------|--------|--------|--------|-------|-------|
| 31.   | TAMIL NADU    |   8224 |   7494 |   8356 |   7359 |   718 |  1189 |
| 32    | TELANGANA     |   4405 |   3974 |   3605 |   3300 |   575 |   533 |
| 33    | TRIPURA       |    243 |    162 |    286 |    122 |    34 |    27 |
| 34    | UTTARAKHAND   |    709 |    548 |    939 |   1807 |   164 |   243 |
| 35    | UTTAR PRADESH |  17733 |  19630 |  16550 |  15751 |  2367 |  2026 |
| 36    | WEST BENGAL   |   5009 |   3915 |   3828 |   2944 |   578 |   378 |
| Total | Total         | 173181 | 158321 | 162896 | 150581 | 23768 | 21500 |

## ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  to  (c)  OF  THE  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4255 TO BE ANSWERED ON 18.03.2026 REGARDING DIGITAL CONSUMER JUSTICE AND ENFORCEMENT OF CONSUMER COMMISSION ORDERS.

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| S No   | State/UT                    | No. of grievances received in 2024   | No. of grievances received in 2025   |
|--------|-----------------------------|--------------------------------------|--------------------------------------|
| 1      | ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR ISLANDS | 897                                  | 831                                  |
| 2      | ANDHRA PRADESH              | 43343                                | 48807                                |
| 3      | ARUNACHAL PRADESH           | 15860                                | 7370                                 |
| 4      | ASSAM                       | 16428                                | 17623                                |
| 5      | BIHAR                       | 74244                                | 89622                                |
| 6      | CHANDIGARH                  | 3749                                 | 4995                                 |
| 7      | CHHATTISGARH                | 14607                                | 17716                                |
| 8      | DADRA&NAGAR HAVELI          | 451                                  | 457                                  |
| 9      | DAMAN &DIU                  | 264                                  | 396                                  |
| 10     | DELHI                       | 108526                               | 152356                               |
| 11     | GOA                         | 3415                                 | 4402                                 |
| 12     | GUJARAT                     | 67306                                | 87339                                |
| 13     | HARYANA                     | 58171                                | 83321                                |
| 14     | HIMACHAL PRADESH            | 6986                                 | 9419                                 |
| 15     | JAMMU &KASHMIR              | 9178                                 | 12662                                |
| 16     | JHARKHAND                   | 21838                                | 26449                                |
| 17     | KARNATAKA                   | 89028                                | 127944                               |
| 18     | KERALA                      | 40298                                | 53863                                |
| 19     | LADAKH                      | 218                                  | 215                                  |
| 20     | LAKSHADWEEP                 | 198                                  | 247                                  |
| 21     | MADHYA PRADESH              | 67094                                | 85967                                |
| 22     | MAHARASHTRA                 | 147432                               | 196905                               |
| 23     | MANIPUR                     | 471                                  | 682                                  |
| 24     | MEGHALAYA                   | 751                                  | 1022                                 |
| 25     | MIZORAM                     | 156                                  | 282                                  |
| 26     | NAGALAND                    | 362                                  | 474                                  |
| 27     | ODISHA                      | 28501                                | 34803                                |
| 28     | PUDUCHERRY                  | 1086                                 | 1863                                 |
| 29     | PUNJAB                      | 26486                                | 43728                                |
| 30     | RAJASTHAN                   | 78675                                | 99406                                |
| 31     | SIKKIM                      | 602                                  | 824                                  |
| 32     | TAMILNADU                   | 53343                                | 90025                                |
| 33     | TELANGANA                   | 58810                                | 76449                                |
| 34     | TRIPURA                     | 2581                                 | 2704                                 |
| 35     | UTTAR PRADESH               | 192311                               | 272248                               |
| 36     | UTTRAKHAND                  | 15281                                | 20053                                |
| 37     | WEST BENGAL                 | 94465                                | 98153                                |
| Total  | Total                       | 13,43,412                            | 17,71,622                            |

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