Government Activates GST Grievance Redressal On National Consumer Helpline Portal

The Department of Consumer Affairs has added a GST grievance redressal category to the National Consumer Helpline (NCH). As per the news reports, this is part of the Next-Gen GST Reforms 2025 and is going to help handle complaints on the revised GST rates and exemptions that take effect from September 22, 2025.

Sub-Categories Introduced

On the Integrated Grievance Redressal Mechanism (INGRAM) portal, GST complaints can now be filed under sectors such as automobiles, banking, consumer durables, e-commerce, FMCG and others. The data from these complaints will be shared with companies, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) and relevant authorities for action.

Training and Consultations

In preparation, CBIC officials held a training session for NCH counsellors on September 11, 2025, to help them address GST-related queries. A stakeholder consultation was also conducted on September 17, 2025, chaired by the Secretary (Consumer Affairs), with e-commerce platforms, industry associations and consumer durable firms. 

These stakeholders were asked to ensure that the impact of GST rate reductions is reflected in prices for consumers.

Access to the Helpline

The NCH can be reached through the toll-free number 1915 and at www.consumerhelpline.gov.in. Complaints can be lodged in 17 Indian languages. Multiple channels are available, including WhatsApp, SMS, email, the NCH app, web portal and the Umang app. The helpline works as a single point for registering consumer grievances at the pre-litigation stage.

Complaint Volumes

As per the reports, the NCH receives over one lakh complaints each month and has more than 1,100 convergence partners. Call volumes have grown from 12,553 in December 2015 to more than 1.55 lakh in December 2024. Complaint registrations increased from 37,062 per month in 2017 to 1.7 lakh in 2025, with nearly 65% filed through digital modes.

Read more: RBI Guidelines Ensure Multilingual Communication And Faster Grievance Redressal By Banks!

Conclusion

The introduction of GST grievance redressal on the NCH is intended to give consumers a channel to raise issues on new GST rules, while also providing authorities with data for timely response.

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