Parliament Question: Consumer Grievance Desks

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 369 TO BE ANSWERED ON 03.02.2026 CONSUMER GRIEVANCE DESKS 369. SMT. SULATA DEO: Will the Minister of CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION be pleased to state: (a) whether there is a proposal to set up dedicated consumer grievance desks at district and block levels in Odisha for swift dispute resolution; and (b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE, CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SHRI B. L. VERMA) (a) : There is no such proposal under consideration to set up consumer grievance desks at districts and block levels in Odisha. (b) : The Consumer Protection Act, 2019 provides for a three tier quasi-judicial machinery at District, State and National level 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. Presently, there are 31 District Commissions functioning in 30 District and one State Commission at the State level functioning at Cuttack, Odisha for redressal of consumer complaints. The Department has setup the National Consumer Helpline (NCH), (toll free number 1915) as a single point of access to consumers across the country for redressing the grievances at a pre-litigation stage. The Consumers can register their grievances from all over the country in 17 languages including Hindi, English, Odia. 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. The details of Grievances by the consumers registered in Odisha through CPGRAMS as well as NCH portal during the last two years are given as under:- S.No. Year Grievances registered on Grievances registered on Total Grievances NCH CPGRAMS Registered 1. 2024 28501 439 28940 2. 2025 34803 628 35431 Total 63304 1067 64371 *****