Centre Working towards Consumer
Protection and Empowerment
·
India has 685 Consumer Redressal Commissions
Consumer Protection Efforts under the
Consumer Protection Act, 2019
The
Department of Consumer
Affairs is actively advancing consumer protection and empowerment through
the modern Consumer
Protection Act, 2019, replacing the outdated 1986 Act to
address challenges from globalization,
e-commerce, and technology.
1. Central Consumer Protection Authority
(CCPA) established to protect consumer rights
and curb unfair trade practices.
2. Simplified dispute resolution:
o Online complaint filing
allowed from the consumer’s residence or workplace.
o Videoconferencing for
hearings.
o Deemed admissibility of
complaints if not decided within 21 days.
3. Product liability
provisions introduced.
4. Stricter penalties for
adulterated/spurious goods.
5. Rules notified for e-commerce and direct selling
to curb unfair trade practices.
·
District, State, and National Consumer Commissions
provide simple and speedy
justice.
·
Powers
include granting specific
reliefs and compensation.
·
1 National Commission (NCDRC)
·
35 State Commissions (SCDRCs)
·
Numerous
District Commissions
(as per annexure)
·
Within
3 months (no testing required)
·
Within
5 months (if testing is needed)
·
Adjournments
discouraged, unless valid reasons are documented.
·
Video
conferencing enabled in NCDRC and all SCDRCs.
·
e-Jagriti
portal integrates systems like OCMS, e-Daakhil, CONFONET using AI/ML for:
o Faceless onboarding
o Role-based dashboards
o Multi-lingual complaint filing
o Faster, transparent resolution
This
new framework empowers consumers with accessible
justice, tech-enabled
redressal, and stronger safeguards against unfair trade
practices.
[ABS News Service/30.07.2025]
Department
of Consumer Affairs is continuously working for consumer protection and empowerment
of consumers by enactment of progressive legislations. With a view to modernize
the framework governing the consumer protection in the new era of globalization,
technologies, e-commerce markets etc. Consumer Protection Act, 1986 was repealed
and Consumer Protection Act, 2019 was enacted.
Salient
features of the new Consumer Protection Act, 2019 are establishment of a Central
Consumer Protection Authority(CCPA); simplification of the adjudication process
in the Consumer Commissions such as enhancing pecuniary jurisdiction of the Consumer
Commissions, online filing of complaint from the Consumer Commission having jurisdiction
over the place of work/residence of the consumer irrespective of the place of transaction,
videoconferencing for hearing, deemed admissibility of complaints if admissibility
is not decided within 21 days of filing; provision of product liability; penal provisions
for manufacture/sale of adulterated products/spurious goods; provision for making
rules for prevention of unfair trade practice in e-commerce and direct selling.
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.
At
present, there is one National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission at the national
level and thirty-five State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions at the state
level. The number of District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions (State-wise)
is at Annexure.
Further,
as per Section 38 (7) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, every complaint shall
be disposed of as expeditiously as possible and endeavour shall be made to decide
the complaint within a period of three months from the date of receipt of notice
by opposite party where the complaint does not require analysis or testing of commodities
and within five months if it requires analysis or testing of commodities.
To
serve the interest of speedy justice to the end consumers, Consumer Protection Act
states that no adjournment shall ordinarily be granted by the consumer commissions
unless sufficient cause is shown and the reasons for grant of adjournment have been
recorded in writing by the Commission.
Besides
providing VC facilities to 10 benches of the National Consumer Disputes Redressal
Commission (NCDRC) and 35 benches of State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions
(SCDRCs), an e-Jagriti portal has been developed to enhance consumer grievance redressal
through a micro-service architecture, Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning
integration and latest features like faceless onboarding and role-based dashboards.
It unifies existing applications (OCMS, e-Daakhil, NCDRC
CMS, CONFONET application) into a single, scalable system that significantly benefit
consumers by enabling them to file complaints seamlessly from anywhere, anytime,
with multi-lingual support. The integrated platform streamlines the grievance redressal
process, offering faster resolution and enhanced transparency.
ANNEXURE
|
S. No. |
Name of State/UT |
No.
of District Commissions |
|
1. |
A&N
Island (UT) |
1 |
|
2. |
Andhra
Pradesh |
17 |
|
3. |
Arunachal
Pradesh |
25 |
|
4. |
Assam |
23 |
|
5. |
Bihar |
38 |
|
6. |
Chandigarh
(UT) |
2 |
|
7. |
Chhattisgarh |
27 |
|
8. |
D&N
Haveli and D&D (UT) |
1 |
|
9. |
Delhi
(UT) |
10 |
|
10. |
Goa |
2 |
|
11. |
Gujarat |
38 |
|
12. |
J&K
(UT) |
10 |
|
13. |
Kerala |
14 |
|
14. |
Lakshadweep
(UT) |
1 |
|
15. |
Haryana |
22 |
|
16. |
Himachal
Pradesh |
12 |
|
17. |
Jharkhand |
24 |
|
18. |
Karnataka |
33 |
|
19. |
Madhya
Pradesh |
48 |
|
20. |
Maharashtra |
40 |
|
21. |
Manipur |
3 |
|
22. |
Meghalaya |
7 |
|
23. |
Mizoram |
11 |
|
24. |
Nagaland |
11 |
|
25. |
Odisha |
30 |
|
26. |
Puducherry
(UT) |
1 |
|
27. |
Punjab |
23 |
|
28. |
Rajasthan |
37 |
|
29. |
Sikkim |
6 |
|
30. |
Tamil
Nadu |
32 |
|
31. |
Telangana |
12 |
|
32. |
Tripura |
4 |
|
33. |
Uttarakhand |
13 |
|
34. |
Uttar
Pradesh |
79 |
|
35. |
West
Bengal |
28 |
|
|
Total |
685 |
This
information was given by the Union Minister of State for the Ministry of Consumer
Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, B.L. Verma in a written reply in the Rajya
Sabha on 29 July, 2025.