National Consumer Helpline Sees Surge: 107,966 Dockets Registered Monthly (April – June 2024)

The Department of Consumer Affairs has revamped, the National Consumer Helpline (NCH) which has emerged as a single point of access to consumers across the country for grievance redressal at pre-litigation stage. It is available to all consumers of the country wherein consumers can register their grievances from all over the country in 17 languages (i.e. Hindi, English, Kashmiri, Punjabi, Nepali, Gujarati, Marathi, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Maithali, Santhali, Bengali, Odia, Assamese, 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- Whats App, SMS, mail, NCH app, web portal, Umang app as per their convenience.

Transformative changes and technological upgradation of the NCH has led to increase in the call handling capacity of National Consumer Helpline. Number of calls received at NCH has increased during the last few years.  These initiatives taken by the Department have also encouraged consumers to register their grievances on the NCH manifested with an increase in the number of grievances registered at NCH.

Average number of complaints registered during a month with the National Consumer Helpline is as per the table below:

The National Consumer Helpline receives complaints related to a broad spectrum of consumer related issues like E-Commerce, Banking, Electronic Products, Consumer Durables, Digital Payment, Telecom, Legal, Retail Outlets, Broadband & Internet and Agency Services.

The National Consumer Helpline regularly trains their staff, equipping them with the knowledge and skills needed in the legal and technology field to handle complex cases effectively by conducting training workshops from time to time.  This ensures that helpline counsellors not only offer comprehensive and accurate information to the consumers about existing regulatory frameworks and consumer rights related issues but also ensure efficient case management, data security and confidentiality.

The Mediation Act, 2023 provides for a voluntary option to parties to mediate any civil and commercial disputes before instituting any legal proceedings in court thus leading to out of court and amicable settlement of disputes.