Parliament Question: Strengthening Consumer Protection Laws

Government of India Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Department of Consumer Affairs LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 550 TO BE ANSWERED ON 22.07.2026 STRENGTHENING CONSUMER PROTECTION LAWS 550. SHRI HASMUKHBHAI SOMABHAI PATEL: SMT. POONAMBEN HEMATBHAI MAADAM: Will the Minister of CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION be pleased to state: (a) the details of the measures taken by the Government to strengthen consumer protection and ensure better redressal of consumer grievances; (b) the details of the initiatives being undertaken by the Government to raise awareness among consumers regarding their rights and to protect themselves from fraud, deceptive marketing and sub-standard products; and (c) whether the National Consumer Helpline has improved accessibility and resolution of consumer complaints and if so, the details thereof? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FOOD AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (SHRI B.L.VERMA) (a) to (c) : The Department of Consumer Affairs has strengthened the consumer protection framework through the enactment of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, to effectively address emerging challenges arising from globalization, technological advancements and e-commerce. 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. Marketplace e-commerce entities are required to obtain undertakings from sellers ensuring that product descriptions, images and other content correspond accurately with the appearance, nature, quality and features of the goods or services. They must prominently publish details of sellers including business name, geographic address, customer care contact details, ratings and feedback along with complete information regarding return, refund, exchange, warranty, delivery, payment modes and grievance redressal mechanisms. Sellers are also required to ensure that advertisements are consistent with the actual characteristics and usage conditions of goods or services and are prohibited from posting misleading reviews or misrepresenting product features.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. 1,853 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 National Consumer Helpline (NCH) has successfully facilitated refund amounting to over ₹91 crore to consumers between 25th April 2025 and 30th June 2026. 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; Guidelines on hotels and restaurants shall not levy service charge; Guidelines on Prevention of Dark Pattern 2023; Guidelines on Prevention and Regulation of Greenwashing, 2024; Guidelines on Prevention and Regulation of Misleading Advertisement in Coaching Sector, 2024 and Guidelines on Prevention and Regulation of Illegal Listing and Sale of Radio Equipment including Walkie Talkies on E-Commerce Platforms, 2025. 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. The Department 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, 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. 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 State Commissions in Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Puducherry, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Uttarakhand 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, 1,021 Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) registered their complaints using e-Jagriti portal from abroad till 17th July, 2026.The Department is undertaking extensive consumer awareness initiatives under the flagship "Jago Grahak Jago" campaign to educate consumers about their rights and protect them from fraud, deceptive marketing practices and substandard products. Consumer awareness messages are disseminated through multimedia platforms, including Prasar Bharati, NFDC, CBC, IRCTC, Meta, MyGov and official social media handles. The Department also conducts IVRS and SMS campaigns in English, Hindi and nine regional languages, with focused outreach in North-Eastern States and SC/ST-dominated areas, besides providing grant-in-aid to States/UTs for localized awareness programmes. Further, the Department regularly disseminates information through digital creatives, audio-visual content and public awareness campaigns on consumer rights, safe consumer practices, hallmarking, ISI certification, packaged commodities, misleading advertisements and grievance redressal mechanisms. Grassroots awareness is being strengthened through weekly capacity-building sessions with Panchayati Raj Institutions across all States/UTs, while participation in public events, cinema campaigns, AIR broadcasts and collaboration with MyGov has further expanded outreach, enabling consumers to make informed choices and seek timely redressal of grievances. *****