Parliament panel flags poor resolution rate in digital consumer complaint system

Only 23% of the total complaints filed through the platform have been resolved so far, with no dedicated system in place to track performance or enforce legal timelines, the Standing Committee on Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution said. The committee expressed disappointment with the Ministry of Consumer Affairs for failing to act on previous recommendations for institutional reforms, and called again for urgent corrective steps.

“The Committee remains concerned about the persistently low resolution rate of 23%… it (ministry) does not provide substantive information on steps being taken to address the backlog or accelerate case resolution,” the report noted.

The e-daakhil portal was launched in September 2020 by the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) to offer a cost-effective, paperless mechanism for consumers to file complaints, track progress, and make payments online. As of 27 November 2024, more than 198,000 complaints had been filed through the portal, of which 38,453 had been resolved, according to data from the consumer affairs ministry.

The 23% resolution rate reflects cumulative performance since the portal’s launch, but the Department has not published a clear baseline resolution rate from the period before 2020.

Under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, complaints that do not require product testing or expert analysis must be resolved within three months from the date the notice is received by the opposite party. If testing or expert input is required, the Act provides for a maximum resolution timeline of five months.

Queries sent to the spokesperson of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs remained unanswered till press time.

Experts say the portal’s limited impact stems not from its design but from the absence of institutional follow-through.

“If there’s no mechanism to measure what happens after a complaint is filed, then the platform becomes just a filing cabinet,” said Ashim Sanyal, chief executive, Consumer Voice, a non-government consumer advocacy organization.

The report also raised concerns over delays in implementing basic infrastructure under CONFONET, the government’s IT backbone for consumer courts. Of the 45 video-conferencing systems scheduled to be installed by March 2024, only six were in place—all at the NCDRC—as of the deadline, the panel said.

The delays not only added to the backlog but also left more than ₹30 crore in FY24 funds unspent, the panel, chaired by Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, said.

“We have asked for very basic measures from the Department, which is the custodian of consumer rights. Putting in place a monitoring mechanism for grievance redressal would bring greater transparency and significantly speed up complaint resolution,” Ranjeet Ranjan, Rajya Sabha MP and member of the Committee, told Mint.

The ministry attributed the spending shortfall to procedural restrictions under the Government e-Marketplace (GeM), which allows payments only after full delivery. But the committee found that explanation inadequate and reiterated its call for the creation of a dedicated project management unit to monitor implementation timelines.

In a written response dated 14 May 2025, the Department of Consumer Affairs said the implementing agency, the National Informatics Centre (NIC), had completed installation at only six benches of the NCDRC by the 15 March deadline. “As per the terms and conditions of GeM, payment can only be released after 100% delivery. Therefore, the funds could not be released in 2023–24,” the ministry said.

The panel said it was particularly concerned by the ministry’s failure to establish a dedicated monitoring cell, a step it had recommended earlier to track key performance indicators and ensure legal compliance under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. Digitization, the committee noted, had made filing easier but would remain ineffective without administrative reforms to reduce pendency.

“The Committee, therefore, reiterate their original recommendation for a dedicated monitoring mechanism and urge the department to take urgent and concrete steps to improve the case resolution rate and reduce pendency,” the report said.