Govt launches AI-powered helpline and e-comm safety measures to enhance consumer protection

New Delhi: Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi launched several initiatives to strengthen consumer protection, including an AI-enabled helpline and tools to detect deceptive marketing practices, while major e-commerce players pledged to enhance online shopping safety.

Platforms including Reliance Retail, Tata Sons and Zomato adopted a safety pledge as the government rolled out new consumer protection measures like the AI-enabled National Consumer Helpline (NCH), e-maap portal, and Jago Grahak Jago mobile application.

"Significant progress has been made in expediting resolutions of consumer disputes," Joshi said at the National Consumer Day event.

Jagriti, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs’ advanced Gen AI virtual assistant, created by GupShup, is equipped with text-to-speech and speech-to-text capabilities, providing step-by-step assistance in filing complaints. Once consumers authenticate with their mobile number, the virtual assistant’s interactive flow helps consumers file a complaint in less than a minute.

Unlike the previous system that required users to navigate dropdown menus, this AI-powered solution can process and respond to queries even if they fall outside predefined options. With its natural language understanding, it can interpret free-flowing text and conversational commands. Complaint filing via Jagriti can be done in both English and Hindi, enhancing accessibility for a broader audience.

The minister, who attended the event online, highlighted that 3,628 cases were filed with the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission between January and November this year, and 6,587 cases were disposed of through the country's three-tier consumer court system at district, state, and national levels.

The government's e-Daakhil Portal, launched in 2020 and expanded nationwide in June 2023, has achieved 100% adoption for online complaint filing in Karnataka, Punjab and Rajasthan.

"Virtual hearings of grievances are giving consumers digital access to justice," he said and lauded the digitalization of consumer grievance redressal efforts.

The minister outlined various measures the consumer protection regulator CCPA has taken through class action suits and the issue of sector-specific guidelines to protect the interests of consumers.

Addressing the growing concerns about the e-commerce sector, Joshi said: "While this digital revolution offers incredible opportunities, the Indian government believes it is equally important for our consumers to feel confident and make informed choices."

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) is drafting new guidelines to regulate surrogate advertising and has issued notices to 13 companies for non-compliance with existing rules, he added.

Among other initiatives launched on the occasion were National Legal Metrology e-Maap, an updated e-book on Packaged Commodities Rules, BIS SMART Standards, and the ‘Software Testing Facility for Weighing and Measuring Instrument' at Regional Reference Standard Laboratory in Ahmedabad.

The minister also launched the Organic Food Testing Laboratory at the National Test House (NTH) in Guwahati and the Low Voltage Switch Gear Testing facility at NTH Mumbai to ensure food safety and electrical quality.

The minister also handed over the 'standard weights’ to the Controllers of Legal Metrology of four states on the occasion.

Minister of State for Consumer Affairs B L Verma, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Chairman Anil Kumar Lahoti, All India Council for Technical Education Chairman T G Sitharam, and Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare were present at the event.