The Department of Consumer Affairs has taken steps to align the National Consumer Helpline (NCH) with the Next-Gen GST Reforms 2025 approved during the 56^th meeting of the GST Council chaired by the Union Finance Minister and in line with the vision articulated by the Hon’ble Prime Minister in his Independence Day 2025 address.

To address the expected consumer queries and complaints on NCH following the implementation of revised GST charges, rates and exemptions effective from 22.09.2025, a dedicated category has been enabled on the INGRAM portal. This category features major sub-categories including Automobiles, Banking, Consumer Durables, E-commerce, FMCG and others wherein GST related complaints will be registered.

In preparation for this initiative, an inaugural training session by Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs (CBIC) officials was conducted on 11.09.2025 to equip NCH counsellors to handle GST related queries and grievances effectively. Recently, a stakeholder consultation meeting was convened under the chairpersonship of Secretary (Consumer Affairs) on 17.09.2025 with participation from leading e-commerce platforms, representatives of industry associations and consumer durables companies. During the meeting, participants were urged to pass on the benefits of GST rate reductions on specified goods and services to consumers.

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.

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.

Over the years, NCH has grown into a robust ecosystem collaborating with 1,142 convergence partners till date comprising private companies, regulators, ombudsman and government agencies, thereby enabling centralized and faster grievance resolution. Each complaint is assigned a unique docket number for transparent tracking and resolution. The platform currently receives over one lakh complaints per month reflecting the growing consumer trust.

The technological transformation of the NCH has significantly boosted its call-handling capacity. The number of calls received by NCH has grown more than tenfold from 12,553 in December 2015 to 1,55,138 in December 2024. This exponential growth reflects the rising confidence of consumers in the helpline. Similarly, the average number of complaints registered per month has surged from 37,062 in 2017 to 1,70,585 in 2025. With the introduction of digital modes, nearly 65% of consumer grievances on the helpline are registered through online and digital channels.

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Abhishek Dayal/Nihi Sharma

GST grievance redressal enabled on National Consumer Helpline to register sectoral complaints and share data for compliance. A dedicated GST grievance redressal mechanism has been enabled within the National Consumer Helpline via a specific INGRAM portal category with sectoral sub categories for registering GST complaints. Counsellors received CBIC training and stakeholder consultations sought industry cooperation to pass benefits to consumers. The helpline will collect multilingual, omni channel pre litigation complaints, assign unique docket numbers, and share complaint data with companies and tax authorities to support timely regulatory action and strengthen GST compliance.