‘Rising complaints against e-commerce platforms in J&K in past 5 years’

New Delhi, Mar 25: The Centre on Wednesday said that complaints against e-commerce platforms have shown a rising trend in Jammu and Kashmir over the past five years, while Ladakh has reported minimal cases.
Replying to an unstarred question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Consumer Affairs B.L. Verma, said that Jammu and Kashmir recorded 15 complaints in 2021, which increased to 42 in 2022 and further to 73 in 2023.
The number of complaints in the Union Territory stood at 51 in 2024 before rising sharply to 120 in 2025. All complaints were disposed of through the National Consumer Helpline (NCH) mechanism.
In Ladakh, no complaints were reported in 2021, 2022 and 2023. However, 1 complaint was recorded in 2024 and 8 complaints in 2025, all of which were also disposed of.
The complaints relate to issues such as misleading advertisements, sale of counterfeit or substandard products and consumer deception through discount practices on e-commerce platforms.
The government said the National Consumer Helpline serves as a single-point platform for grievance redressal, allowing consumers to register complaints through phone, web portal, mobile applications, WhatsApp and SMS.
It said the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 mandate e-commerce entities to appoint grievance officers and resolve complaints within a stipulated timeframe.
The Centre added that the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) is empowered to act against unfair trade practices, misleading advertisements, and the sale of substandard products, including issuing notices, imposing penalties, and ordering recalls.
Officials said steps are being taken to strengthen consumer protection mechanisms and ensure transparency in online marketplaces in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. (KNO)