E-Jagriti, NCH 2.0 key to faster consumer justice: Nidhi Khare, Secretary, DoCA

The Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India, organised a Regional Workshop on Consumer Protection for Eastern States on Tuesday in Patna, Bihar, bringing together key stakeholders from Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha to strengthen consumer grievance redressal and improve the functioning of Consumer Commissions.

The workshop focused on reducing case pendency, improving compliance of consumer commission orders, using digital tools for faster justice, and addressing emerging challenges such as dark patterns and unfair trade practices in the digital market.

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In her keynote address, Nidhi Khare, Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs (DoCA), Government of India, highlighted the major reforms undertaken by the Department to modernise the consumer grievance redressal system across the country.

She underlined the growing role of the National Consumer Helpline (NCH 2.0) as a pre-litigation platform that provides multilingual access, online complaint filing and faster resolution through technology. The Secretary also detailed the nationwide rollout of E-Jagriti.

CONFONET 2.0, a single integrated digital platform for Consumer Commissions’ Jagriti, brings together e-Daakhil, online case management, video conferencing, data dashboards, and AI-based tools, creating an end-to-end digital workflow for consumer cases.

She stated that E-Jagriti marks a shift from fragmented systems to a transparent, efficient and real-time digital ecosystem, enabling better monitoring and quicker disposal of cases. Emphasising its importance for Eastern India, she said that digital platforms can greatly improve access to consumer justice in rural and geographically dispersed districts of Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha.

She urged state and District Consumer Commissions to make full use of video hearings, automated case tools and performance dashboards to reduce delays and ensure timely execution of orders.

Khare also spoke about the need to strengthen domestic production and procurement of pulses, noting a shift in household consumption from cereals towards pulses.

Referring to Bihar’s strong agricultural base, she highlighted the potential for expanding pulses cultivation and structured procurement, including dalhan procurement. She noted that India currently imports pulses such as arhar, chana, and urad from countries like Myanmar, Australia, and Brazil, and stressed the need to build domestic capacity.

She reiterated the Government’s commitment to MSP-based procurement when market prices fall below MSP, while ensuring that farmers can benefit from higher market prices, thereby supporting farmer welfare and food security.