The Department of Consumer Affairs, which comes under the Ministry, has taken this step to align the National Consumer Helpline (NCH) with the Next-Gen GST Reforms 2025 approved during the 56th meeting of the GST Council.
“The helpline will also share data and insights generated from consumer complaints under this sector with concerned companies, CBIC and other concerned authorities to enable timely action under relevant laws. This initiative is expected to strengthen GST compliance and promote a participatory governance model by empowering consumers to become active stakeholders in fair market practices,” said the press statement.
The National Consumer Helpline (www.consumerhelpline.gov.in) has emerged as a single point of access for consumers across the country to register grievances at the pre-litigation stage. Consumers can now lodge their complaints in 17 languages (including Hindi, English, Kashmiri, Punjabi, Nepali, Gujarati, Marathi, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Maithili, Santhali, Bengali, Odia, Assamese, and Manipuri) via toll-free number 1915 or through the Integrated Grievance Redressal Mechanism (INGRAM). This omni-channel IT-enabled platform supports multiple registration modes including WhatsApp, SMS, email, NCH app, web portal and Umang app providing convenience and flexibility to consumers.