New Delhi: In order to fast-track consumer grievance redressal process and provide an effective forum for consumers to give their valuable suggestions to the Department on consumer related issues, Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Shri Ram Vilas Paswan launched the ‘Consumer App’ today in Krishi Bhawan. Another bold step towards achieving the objective of ‘Digital India’, the app aims to provide a one stop solution for consumer grievance redressal at the palm of every consumer across the nation via mobile phones.
Addressing the media after launching the app, Shri Paswan said that complaint status will be monitored on a daily basis by the ministry and on a weekly basis by him personally. The registered consumer will be informed about their complaint via SMS/E-mail with a unique number which can be tracked by the consumer. The Minister further said that there will be time bound resolution of all grievances and those that are simple in nature will be resolved within 20 days while those that elicit a feedback from companies or further enquiries will be resolved within 2 months/60 days. Shri Paswan also said that if after 60 days the grievance is not resolved, the consumer will be advised to proceed to consumer fora. Also, now the consumer will be informed before closure of a complaint and if the consumer is not satisfied then the complaint will be referred further to the concerned department.
The Consumer App is loaded with various consumer centric features which will benefit both Consumers and the Government. Consumers can sign-up with an OTP (one time password) and create an user ID and password to use the app. Consumers will now be able to lodge complaints / Grievances directly through this app which then will be taken up with companies for quick redressal. Feature to track the lodged grievances is also built in this app. Various important links that will be useful to the consumers are also available in the app.
The knowledge base available in the app is a very useful feature that will help consumers get information pertaining to 42 Sectors including Consumer Durables, Electronic Products, e-commerce, Banking, Insurance, etc. Consumers can use this app in Hindi and English on both Android and IoS platforms. This App can be downloaded free of cost from Google Play Store or App Store for Apple.Consumers can also give their valuable suggestions through the Consumer App.
