Jammu Kashmir Logged 24,078 Helpline Complaints in 3 Years, Consumer Commissions Filed 59 Cases | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir recorded a total of 24,019 consumer complaints on the National Consumer Helpline over 2022, 2023 and 2024, all of which the government has said were disposed of within the same period.

In parallel, 59 cases were filed before the Union Territory’s Consumer Commissions across the same three years, with 176 cumulative disposals recorded, according to official data tabled in the Lok Sabha by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.

The government told Parliament that Jammu and Kashmir, like other States and Union Territories, has seen a steady rise in complaints linked to e-commerce, online purchases, defective products, delayed deliveries and fraud by service providers. Officials said the rise corresponds with a surge in digital grievance-filing, particularly through WhatsApp, and reflects higher public confidence in the revamped National Consumer Helpline.

Between 2022 and 2024, the helpline received 6,874 complaints from Jammu and Kashmir in 2022, 7,967 in 2023 and 9,178 in 2024. The administration has said that every complaint received on the helpline during these years in the Union Territory was fully resolved.

On the adjudicatory side, Jammu and Kashmir’s Consumer Commissions saw 10 cases filed in 2022, 19 in 2023 and 30 in 2024. Disposal numbers rose sharply in 2024, with cumulative disposals reaching 172 that year, following four in 2023 and none in 2022.

The ministry said the Union Government is working with States, Union Territories and Consumer Commissions to strengthen disposal timelines, expand digital access, and modernise the grievance-redressal ecosystem. The Consumer Protection Act, 2019, and subsequent e-commerce rules and dark-patterns guidelines form the backbone of this framework.

Under the ongoing modernisation efforts, the National Consumer Helpline has introduced AI-based speech recognition, automated translation and chatbot-driven assistance, while the newly launched e-Jagriti portal integrates multiple platforms into a single interface for filing complaints, uploading documents, paying fees and attending virtual hearings.

Officials stated that these measures are intended to ensure a faster, more transparent and more accessible system for consumers in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly as online commerce expands across the Union Territory.