**Executive Summary**
This document addresses Unstarred Question No. 1959 regarding the Government's efforts to raise consumer awareness, particularly in rural and tribal areas, focusing on consumer rights, the Consumer Protection Act, fair prices, quality standards, and grievance redressal. The document details the initiatives undertaken, including the "Jago Grahak Jago" campaign, National Consumer Helpline, and collaboration with the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). The reference date for the answer is February 11, 2026.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Consumer Awareness Campaigns ("Jago Grahak Jago"):**
* The Department of Consumer Affairs runs a country-wide multimedia consumer awareness campaign.
* Various media are used, including electronic, outdoor, and social media.
* Consumers are educated on consumer rights, the Consumer Protection Act, fair prices, quality standards, misleading advertisements, and the National Consumer Helpline.
* The Department participates in fairs, festivals, and events.
* Grant-in-aid is released to States/UTs for local awareness generation.
* **Focus on Rural and Tribal Areas:**
* Campaigns are conducted in SC and ST dominant areas, using YouTube Ads, All India Radio, Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS), and SMS alerts.
* Campaigns are conducted through media in regional languages.
* **Initiatives by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS):**
* BIS organizes consumer awareness programs through its regional and branch offices.
* Includes programs on Standards under Compulsory Certification, Hallmarking, and Gram Panchayat Sensitization.
* BIS sensitizes Gram Panchayat Presidents and Secretaries across the country on standards, the BIS Care App, and quality issues in government procurement.
* Information is imparted in local languages, and special booklets are distributed and available on the BIS website.
* **Educational Materials:**
* Comic books on consumer awareness are published in English, Hindi, and regional languages for distribution in EMRS schools and Kendriya Vidyalayas.
* The comic books are uploaded on Rashtriya e-Pustakalaya.
* BIS comic literature will also be available on the Rashtriya e-Pustakalaya platform.
* **Mascot Launch:**
* In 2022-23, the Department launched "Jagriti," a mascot for empowering consumers and generating awareness of their rights, projecting it as an empowered young consumer.
**Impact Analysis**
**Stakeholder: Consumers (Especially in Rural and Tribal Areas)**
* **Impact:** Increased awareness of consumer rights, the Consumer Protection Act, fair prices, quality standards, misleading advertisements, and grievance redressal mechanisms.
* **Action Required:** Utilize the available resources (helpline, information booklets, awareness campaigns) to understand their rights and seek redressal for grievances.
**Stakeholder: State Governments/Union Territories**
* **Impact:** Responsible for local level awareness campaigns.
* **Action Required:** Generate awareness at the local level with grant-in-aid and ensure awareness reaches rural, tribal and remote regions.
**Stakeholder: Gram Panchayat Presidents and Secretaries**
* **Impact:** Become more informed about Indian standards, the BIS Care App, and quality issues in government procurement.
* **Action Required:** Implement the knowledge gained to improve procurement practices and promote compliance with Indian standards at the grassroots level.
**Stakeholder: Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)**
* **Impact:** Required to organize and implement consumer awareness programs through their network of regional and branch offices.
* **Action Required:** Conduct awareness programs and sensitize Gram Panchayat representatives.
**Stakeholder: Schools (EMRS and Kendriya Vidyalayas)**
* **Impact:** Providing resources for student education on consumer rights and related issues.
* **Action Required:** Distribute comic books to students and promote usage of Rashtriya e-Pustakalaya.
Key Entities Referenced
Jago Grahak Jago: A consumer awareness campaign by the Department of Consumer Affairs.
Consumer Protection Act, 2019: An act to provide for protection of the interests of consumers and for the establishment of authorities for timely and effective administration and settlement of consumers' disputes.
Department of Consumer Affairs: The primary department responsible for the consumer awareness campaigns discussed in the document.
Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS): Organization involved in consumer awareness programmes, particularly concerning Indian standards.
National Consumer Helpline (NCH): A helpline mentioned in the context of raising consumer awareness.
ORIGINAL IN HINDI
Government of India
Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution
Department of Consumer Affairs
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1959 (OIH)
TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.02.2026
JAGO GRAHAK JAGO
1959. SMT. ANITA NAGARSINGH CHOUHAN:
(OIH)
Will the Minister of CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC
DISTRIBUTION be pleased to state:
(a) whether the Government is aware that the awareness level regarding consumer rights, the Consumer
Protection Act, 2019, fair prices, quality standards, misleading advertisements and the grievance
redressal mechanism is still extremely low in rural and tribal-dominated areas of the country;
(b) if so, the details of the programmes/campaigns (such as "Jago Grahak Jago", the National Consumer
Helpline, digital and offline outreach) that are being implemented by the Government to enhance
consumer awareness in rural and tribal areas;
(c) the details of number of awareness camps, training programmes and publicity activities organised by
the Government under these programmes during the last three years, State-wise; and
(d) whether the Government proposes to launch special campaigns in remote and tribal areas to provide
awareness material in local languages and if so, the details thereof?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE
CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION
(SHRI B.L.VERMA)
(a) to (d) : Department of Consumer Affairs has been generating country-wide multimedia consumer
awareness campaign under the aegis of “Jago Grahak Jago” through various media including electronic,
outdoor and social media. Consumers are made aware of consumer rights, the Consumer Protection Act, 2019,
fair prices, quality standards, misleading advertisements, National Consumer Helpline (NCH) and the
grievance redressal mechanism and various other consumer related issues. The Department participates in
prominent fairs/festivals/events where a large number of people may congregate. The Department also
releases grant-in-aid to various States/UTs for generating awareness at local level. This ensures that
consumer awareness reaches consumers, especially in rural, tribal and remote regions. The Department in
2022-23 has launched "Jagriti", a mascot for empowering consumers and generating awareness of their rights.
Jagriti is projected as an empowered young consumer.
To generate consumer awareness among the population in SC and ST dominant areas, campaign like
YouTube Ads, All India Radio broadcasts, Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS) calls, SMS alerts were
carried out.The Department has been running awareness campaigns through various media in regional languages
like SMS campaigns. The Department has published comic books on consumer awareness related issues in
English, Hindi and regional languages for distribution in EMRS schools and Kendriya Vidyalayas. The books
have also been uploaded on Rashtriya e-Pustakalaya.
With the objective of strengthening consumer awareness at the village and Gram Panchayat level, the
Department has also conducted a series of virtual capacity-building sessions for Gram Panchayats in
States/UTs.
Additionally, Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) organizes consumer awareness programmes on a
regular basis through the network of BIS Regional Offices and Branch offices. These programmes includes
Awareness Programme on Standards under Compulsory Certification, Hallmarking, Gram Panchayat
Sensitization programmes etc.
To create awareness and promote compliance with Indian standards at the grassroots level, Bureau of
Indian Standards (BIS) has undertaken a comprehensive initiative to sensitize Gram Panchayat Presidents and
Secretaries across the country through sensitization programmes. This initiative educates Gram Panchayat
Presidents and Secretaries across the country about standards, the BIS Care App and important quality issues
in government procurement. In these programmes information was imparted in local language and special
booklets containing information of relevant Indian standards were also distributed. These booklets are also
available on BIS website.
To ensure that the BIS comic literature reaches a larger number of students, an MoU has been signed
with National Book Trust India (NBT) to make these books available on the Rashtriya e-Pustakalaya platform
of the Ministry of Education, GoI in regional languages.
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