India's Ministry of Consumer Affairs Launches AI-Powered Virtual Assistant for Streamlined Complaint Filing

Ministry of Consumer Affairs & Gupshup introduce virtual assistant

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs has partnered with Gupshup to launch Jagriti, a web-based AI virtual assistant, simplifying the filing and tracking of consumer complaints. Consumers can authenticate with their mobile number to file a complaint in under a minute, part of the NCH 2.0 initiative to enhance grievance redressal. The Ministry of Consumer Affairs has partnered with messaging platform Gupshup to introduce a web-based AI virtual assistant, Jagriti, to simplify the process of filing consumer complaints, it said in a press statement on Tuesday. The announcement was made during a press conference attended by Pralhad Joshi, Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and New and Renewable Energy. "The announcement brings grievance redressal to consumers' fingertips and marks a significant leap forward in empowering consumers across India," the statement said. "Once consumers authenticate with their mobile number, the virtual assistant's interactive flow helps them file a complaint in less than a minute," it added. The adoption of Generative AI for the consumer complaint filing process is part of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs' initiative of NCH 2.0. Besides easier complaint filing, consumers can also track the status of their complaints by sharing their complaint number with the AI assistant, according to the statement. "With this Gen AI Assistant, we're bringing government services like complaint filing directly to consumers' fingertips, ensuring they can connect, engage, and resolve issues effortlessly. This is a step toward a future where technology strengthens trust in public systems," said Beerud Sheth, founder and chief executive, Gupshup.

Ministry of Consumer Affairs and Gupshup Introduce Virtual Assistant for Complaint Filing

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, in collaboration with Gupshup, today announced the next evolution in consumer complaint resolution with the introduction of a web-based Generative AI virtual assistant for complaint filing - 'Jagriti'. The bot was launched at the press conference today, addressed by Pralhad Joshi, Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and New and Renewable Energy. The announcement brings grievance redressal to consumers' fingertips and marks a significant leap forward in empowering consumers across India. Jagriti, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs' advanced Gen AI virtual assistant, is equipped with cutting-edge text-to-speech and speech-to-text capabilities, providing step-by-step assistance in filing complaints. Once consumers authenticate with their mobile number, the virtual assistant's interactive flow helps consumers file a complaint in less than a minute. Unlike the previous system that required users to navigate dropdown menus, this AI-powered solution can process and respond to queries even if they fall outside predefined options. With its natural language understanding, it can interpret free-flowing text and conversational commands. Complaint filing via Jagriti can be done in both English and Hindi, enhancing accessibility for a broader audience. The adoption of Generative AI for transforming the consumer complaint filing process is part of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs' initiative of NCH 2.0. Besides easier complaint filing, consumers can also track the status of their complaints by sharing their complaint number with the AI assistant. Jagriti's Gen AI avatar follows the foundation laid by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs and Gupshup last year, which brought forth WhatsApp-based complaint filing. The new medium saw a great response from consumers with more than 8 lakh complaints registered via WhatsApp till November this year. The WhatsApp chatbot launched last year streamlined the process, enabling consumers to register complaints, check their status, and access FAQs directly through the popular messaging platform. "Cultivating integrity within our consumer ecosystem is paramount to fostering a safe and empowered environment for all. The Gen AI Chatbot epitomizes our collective commitment to placing consumers at the heart of every initiative. As we harness the power of technology to uphold consumer rights, let us stride forward, knowing that each advancement brings us closer to a future where transparency, fairness, and trust define every interaction," said Shri Pralhad Joshi, Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and New and Renewable Energy. "We're incredibly excited about the transformative potential of Generative AI and Gupshup's adept harnessing of its power to revolutionize consumer engagement. With this Gen AI Assistant, we're bringing government services like complaint filing directly to consumers' fingertips, ensuring they can connect, engage, and resolve issues effortlessly. This is a step toward a future where technology truly serves the people, improving lives and strengthening trust in public systems," said Beerud Sheth, Founder & CEO of Gupshup. The Ministry of Consumer Affairs and Gupshup remain dedicated to advancing consumer rights and enhancing citizen services through technological innovation, reaffirming their commitment to a more transparent, efficient, and consumer-friendly India. About Gupshup Built for the conversational era, Gupshup makes it easy for businesses to create personalized, automated and frictionless experiences across the customer lifecycle. Gupshup Conversation Cloud powers two-way interactions with industry-trained AI agents so businesses can go live faster across all major channels including WhatsApp, RCS, Instagram, Web, App, and more. Trusted by 45,000+ brands across the globe, Gupshup works with many of the top companies across industries including eCommerce, retail, payments, fintech, payments, media, travel, automotive, and banking to deliver transformative conversational experiences that accelerate growth, and optimize costs.

India's Consumer Affairs Ministry Launches AI Assistant for Complaint Filing

"Each advancement brings us closer to a future where transparency, fairness, and trust define every interaction," said Pralhad Joshi, Minister of Consumer Affairs. The Ministry of Consumer Affairs in India, in collaboration with Gupshup, a conversational messaging platform, announced Jagriti, a virtual AI assistant for filing complaints. Pralhad Joshi, Minister of Consumer Affairs, launched the assistant at a press conference today. Jagiri is said to equip 'cutting-edge' text-to-speech and speech-to-text capabilities to provide stepwise assistance in filing complaints. "Once consumers authenticate with their mobile number, the virtual assistant's interactive flow helps consumers file a complaint in less than a minute," read the announcement. "As we harness the power of technology to uphold consumer rights, let us stride forward, knowing that each advancement brings us closer to a future where transparency, fairness, and trust define every interaction," said Joshi. Earlier, Gupshup brought forth WhatsApp-based complaint filing, which recorded more than 8 lakh complaints registered till November this year. "With this Gen AI Assistant, we're bringing government services like complaint filing directly to consumers' fingertips, ensuring they can connect, engage, and resolve issues effortlessly," said Beerud Sheth, founder and CEO of Gupshup. According to the National Consumer Helpline (NCH), the average number of complaints registered per month amounted to 1,12,468 in 2024. Last month, NCH said it partnered with over 1,000 companies under the Convergence Programme to expedite grievance resolution. Unfortunately, Jagriti can only file complaints in English and Hindi for now. The NCH, however, supports 17 languages across the country. The advent of AI can bring about much-needed improvements for Indian citizens who want to reach out to the relevant government departments. Earlier this year, the government launched MyScheme, which offers a surprisingly user-friendly interface to access various schemes based on the eligibility of the individual. Moreover, multiple state governments across India had plenty of AI initiatives announced throughout 2024. Earlier this year, the cabinet also approved over 10,000 crores for the IndiaAI mission. Recently, Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw, called for a balanced approach to address fake news while safeguarding freedom of speech and was open to implementing new laws specific to AI.