The Secretary of the Department of Consumer Affairs, Nidhi Khare, highlighted the potential of digital consumer grievance redressal systems to improve access to consumer justice in Bihar, Jharkhand, and Odisha. She emphasized the reforms aimed at modernizing the grievance redressal system nationwide during a workshop in Patna.
Khare pointed out the significance of the National Consumer Helpline (NCH 2.0) as a platform offering multi-lingual support, online complaint filing, and expedited resolutions through technology. Additionally, she discussed the implementation of E-Jagriti (CONFONET 2.0), a unified digital platform for Consumer Commissions, integrating various tools for efficient handling of consumer cases.
The shift towards a transparent and real-time digital ecosystem with E-Jagriti is expected to streamline case monitoring and accelerate case resolutions, reducing delays. Khare urged consumer commissions at state and district levels to leverage video hearings, automated case tools, and performance dashboards for prompt execution of orders and improved efficiency.
Pratyaya Amrit, Chief Secretary of the Bihar Government, stressed the importance of treating citizens as consumers entitled to clear information, fair treatment, and timely redressal. He commended initiatives like E-Jagriti and anticipated positive outcomes from discussions on issues such as dark patterns during the workshop.
The workshop aimed to address challenges like reducing case pendency, enhancing compliance with consumer commission orders, utilizing digital tools for expedited justice, and tackling issues like dark patterns and unfair trade practices in the digital market.
