New Delhi: Union Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Minister Ram Vilas Paswan today said 18 states will be connected to the National Consumer Help Line by March next year. Briefing mediapersons about the National Consumer Helpline (NCH) here, Mr Paswan said six Zonal Helplines will be launched in the country from next month. He said every zonal helpline will have ten consumer desk. In this way, 60 consumer desk will work additionally in the country apart from National Consumer Helpline. Mr Paswan informed that earlier 14 NCH counters were working for redressing the grievances of the consumer, which has been increased to 60. He said earlier average response time was taken about 7 minute in the National Consumer Helpline which is now almost instant available. Mr Paswan said the number of people lodging complaint on the National Consumer Helpline has increased by almost 3 times. He said National Consumer Helpline received 1.30 lakh complaints in 2014 by consumers which increased to 3 lakh in 2017.
