New Delhi, June 14 (UNI) The National Consumer Helpline has received 5.41 lakh complaints to date this year, with 23 per cent originating from Southern States, according to an official statement here.
Of the 28.54 lakh cases filed nationally, only 5.62 lakh remain pending, with Southern States contributing to just 13.34 per cent of the pending cases, Nidhi Khare, Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs, said while addressing a workshop in Chennai recently, added the statement.
Khare further noted that Karnataka and Kerala commissions have consistently disposed of more cases than they have received, and several district commissions have achieved 100% disposal rates over the past three consecutive years.
At the workshop themed "Consumer Protection in the Southern States/UTs", Khare emphasised that the digital era calls for adaptive legal and technological frameworks, highlighting that over 11,900 cases have been heard through virtual courts.
In addition, she introduced e-Jagriti, an AI-powered unified platform designed to integrate key systems such as e-Daakhil and Confonet. The platform offers features like chatbot-based case registration, multilingual access, and support for both legal professionals and differently-abled users.
During the inaugural session, Justice Amreshwar Pratap Sahi, President of the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC), discussed the expanding scope of the Consumer Protection Act and the growing trend of litigation moving from traditional courts to consumer commissions.
The workshop featured four thematic technical sessions and two parallel discussions, chaired by Justice Sahi and co-chaired by Khare.
The sessions focused on strengthening consumer grievance redressal across critical sectors, including digital innovations through e-Jagriti, real estate and insurance grievance mechanisms, and medical negligence redressal, as per the statement.
Bharat Khera, Additional Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs, traced India’s rich history in ethical trade and underscored the transformative impact of the Consumer Protection Act of 2019, while Satyabrata Sahoo, Principal Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Cooperation, Food & Consumer Protection Department, stressed the importance of capacity building and training to enhance consumer protection institutions.
The workshop was attended by officials from the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, members of State Commissions, presidents of District Commissions, district commission members, and other dignitaries from Southern States/UTs, including Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Lakshadweep, and more.
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