Umaisar Gull Ganie
Srinagar, Mar 11: The Government of India on Wednesday said that State and District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions have been established in the Union Territory of Ladakh, while one member has been appointed in the Leh District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission.
Replying to an unstarred question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution B L Verma, according to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said that under the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, it is the responsibility of the State or UT governments to fill vacancies of Presidents and Members in State and District Consumer Commissions.
The Minister said that as per rules, the process of appointments should be initiated at least six months before a vacancy arises.
He said that in case of vacancies in District Commissions, the government can notify another District Commission or its members to exercise jurisdiction and discharge functions for the concerned district.
The government also informed that consumers in Ladakh can seek grievance redressal through the National Consumer Helpline (NCH), which serves as a single-point access platform for consumer complaints at the pre-litigation stage.
According to the ministry, consumers can lodge complaints through the toll-free number 1915, WhatsApp and SMS (8800001915), email, the NCH mobile application, the web portal and the UMANG app.
The National Consumer Helpline facilitates grievance redressal across 31 sectors, and between April 25, 2025 and January 31, 2026, it helped secure refunds worth Rs 52 crore to consumers in 79,521 cases, the government said—(KNO)
