National Consumer Rights Day, also known as Bharatiya Grahak Diwas or National Consumer Day, is annually observed across India on 24 December to promote understanding of consumer rights and responsibilities.
Theme:
2025 Theme: “Efficient and Speedy Disposal through Digital Justice”
Focus: The theme highlights India’s emphasis on technology-enabled grievance redressal mechanisms
Exam Hints:
- What? National Consumer Rights Day or Bharatiya Grahak Diwas
- When? 24th December 2025
- 2025 Theme: “Efficient and Speedy Disposal through Digital Justice”
- 1st observance: 1986
- Governing Law: Consumer Protection Act, 2019 (replaced the 1986 Act).
- Key Initiative in 2025: e-Jagriti Platform, National Consumer Helpline 2.0, Jago Grahak Jago App & Jagriti Dashboard, Consumer Welfare Fund (CWF), BIS & National Test House, and Legal Metrology Updates (2025)
Background:
Enactment: The day commemorates the enactment of the Consumer Protection Act (CPA), 1986, which received Presidential assent on 24 December 1986.
First Observance: The first-ever National Consumer Rights Day was observed on 24 December 1986
About Consumer Protection Act(CPA):
Purpose: The Consumer Protection Bill, 1986 was introduced to safeguard consumer interests and establish consumer councils and authorities for dispute resolution.
Reform: The Consumer Protection Act, 2019, which came into force on 20 July 2020, replaced the 1986 Act to modernise consumer dispute resolution, strengthen consumer protection, and address challenges arising from e-commerce and digital markets.
Structure: The CPA 2019 provides a three-tier adjudicatory framework District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum (DCDRF) for claims up to Rs. 50 lakh, State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (SCDRC) for claims above Rs. 50 lakh up to Rs. 2 crore, and the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) for claims exceeding Rs. 2 crore.
Authority: The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) was established on 24 July 2020 under the CPA 2019 to regulate unfair trade practices and misleading advertisements.
Consumer Rights: The Act empowers consumers with six fundamental rights: Right to safety; Right to choose; Right to be informed; Right to be heard; Right to seek redressal and Right to consumer education.
Key Consumer Initiatives 2025:
e-Jagriti Platform: Launched on 1 January 2025 as a unified digital grievance platform enabling online filing, virtual hearings, and multilingual access, with over 1.35 lakh cases filed by mid-November 2025.
National Consumer Helpline 2.0: The Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled National Consumer Helpline (1915) provides multilingual grievance support via multiple digital channels, resolving over 12 lakh complaints annually.
Jago Grahak Jago App & Jagriti Dashboard:
The Jago Grahak Jago Application (App)/Portal uses AI to detect dark patterns and allows reporting of fraudulent or unsafe online platforms.
Consumer Welfare Fund (CWF): Released Rs. 38.68 crore in Financial Year 2024–25 (FY25) to support consumer awareness initiatives in States and Union Territories (UTs).
BIS & National Test House: Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) (under the BIS Act, 2016) ensures product quality through standards and Quality Control Orders (QCOs) with verification via the BIS Care App, while the National Test House (NTH) supports testing and certification.
Legal Metrology Updates: In October 2025, the Department of Consumer Affairs (DoCA) under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution (MoCAF&PD) notified the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Amendment Rules, 2025, effective February 2026, mandating that medical device packages comply with the labeling requirements of the Medical Devices Rules, 2017.
About Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution (MOCAF&PD):
Union Minister- Pralhad Joshi (Constituency- Dharwad, Karnataka)
Minister of State (MoS)– B.L.Verma(Rajya Sabha – Uttar Pradesh, UP); Nimuben Bambhaniya (Constituency- Bhavnagar, Gujarat)
