SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production | SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions | SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
Department of Consumer Affairs (DoCA) | Ministry of Panchayati Raj
The Department of Consumer Affairs (DoCA), in collaboration with the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, has launched the second series of its nationwide virtual capacity-building programme to deepen consumer awareness at the grassroots level. Building on the success of sessions conducted between 2024 and 2025—which covered Panchayats across nearly all States and Union Territories—the new series was inaugurated on February 13, 2026, starting with Bihar, Jharkhand, and Odisha. The programme sensitizes local stakeholders on the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, and institutional grievance platforms such as the National Consumer Helpline (1915) and the e-Jagriti portal. By conducting sessions in regional languages and enabling direct interaction with Panchayat representatives, the initiative aims to create an informed rural consumer base and equip local institutions to curb unfair trade practices effectively.
Key Pillars of the Consumer Outreach Series
Virtual Redressal Training: Sensitizing Panchayat representatives on rights, responsibilities, and the mechanics of the e-Jagriti and Confonet systems.
Regional Linguistic Inclusivity: Conducting sessions in respective State languages to ensure effective communication and comprehension among grassroots stakeholders.
Direct Stakeholder Engagement: Using virtual links to connect thousands of participants, allowing them to raise field-level concerns directly with senior officers.
Collaborative Governance: Leveraging the existing infrastructure of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj to ensure that consumer protection permeates every tier of local governance.
Scalable Digital Delivery: Utilizing a cost-efficient virtual format to achieve rapid, nationwide outreach within a short period.
What is the “e-Jagriti Portal”? The e-Jagriti portal is a centralized digital platform designed to facilitate the end-to-end filing and tracking of consumer complaints online. It integrates various stakeholders—including Consumer Commissions, mediators, and the National Consumer Helpline—into a single interface to ensure the timely and transparent redressal of grievances. For rural consumers, e-Jagriti eliminates the need to travel long distances to physical commissions, as complaints can be filed and monitored through local Common Service Centers (CSCs) or Gram Panchayat offices, thereby significantly lowering the “cost of justice”.
Policy Relevance
This outreach represents a transition from “Metropolitan-Centric Redressal” to “Grassroots Consumer Sovereignty,” positioning the 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats as the first line of defense for rural citizens.
Strategic Impact:
Bridging the Information Asymmetry: By training local leaders, the government is addressing the gap where rural consumers are often unaware of their rights, helping to curb the 85% informal sector practices that lack standard protections.
Integrating with Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI): The e-Jagriti portal’s success is a direct result of India’s 42.36 lakh km fiber network, which enables remote villages to access high-tier legal redressal systems.
Supporting “AI for All”: As India adopts the India AI Governance Guidelines, these Panchayat-level networks can eventually use tools like SabhaSaar to help consumers identify AI-generated scams or deepfake-enabled frauds.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: What Public-Private Partnership (PPP) models should be established to accelerate the manufacturing of 10 lakh ‘Annapurna’ machines required for the 3-4 year nationwide rollout?
Follow the full news here: Consumer Rights Outreach Series for Gram Panchayats