National Consumer Helpline refunds Rs 7.14 crore to consumers in 2 months

New Delhi, July 4 (IANS) The government on Friday said that the National Consumer Helpline (NCH) has successfully facilitated refund of Rs 7.14 crore to consumers in the last two months.

The redressal was achieved across 30 sectors, effectively addressing 15,426 consumer grievances related to refund claims, according to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs.

Notably, the e-commerce sector accounted for the highest volume of grievances, registering 8,919 grievances, and correspondingly, the highest refund facilitation amounting to Rs 3.69 crore.

This was followed by the travel and tourism sector, which saw refunds of Rs 81 lakh.

Grievances related to e-commerce refunds came from across the country, with the highest (1242) from Uttar Pradesh and even smaller regions like Sikkim and Dadra & Nagar Haveli registering complaints — reflecting NCH’s effectiveness as a truly nationwide consumer redressal platform, said the ministry.

“The facilitation of Ts 7.14 crore in refunds between 25th April and 30th June 2025 reflects the efficacy and responsiveness of the helpline, driven by the expansion of convergence partners and strong stakeholder engagement,” the Department noted.

This increase in the number of grievances and dockets registered at NCH also indicates the growing outreach of the platform, specially through digital modes such as calls, the web portal, WhatsApp, the NCH App, UMANG, CPGRAMS, SMS, Email and AI-enabled chatbot.

This also highlights NCH’s vital role in ensuring timely, hassle-free grievance redressal and reinforces its importance as a trusted, pre-litigation platform promoting consumer welfare and marketplace transparency.

This helpline has emerged as a single point of access for consumers across the country to seek grievance redressal at the pre-litigation stage. Consumers can register their grievances in 17 languages through a toll-free number 1915.

The Department reiterated its commitment to strengthening consumer protection framework and urges all consumers to actively utilise the helpline to safeguard their rights and seek timely redressal. The NCH plays a crucial pre-litigation role in resolving consumer grievances swiftly and amicably, reducing the burden on Consumer Commissions under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

--IANS

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