A Review of Government Measures to Enhance Consumer Rights Awareness in India

Abstract; Consumer protection in India has changed significantly over the last 40 years. It has gradually moved from focusing mainly on providing legal rights to reforming law to creating awareness among the public. This article looks up government-led initiatives and strategies that evolved to empower consumers from 1986 to 2025. The paper emphasizes that the Consumer Protection Act, 1986, was instrumental in providing legal rights to the consumers and how awareness was created through various schemes like Jago Grahak Jago, Grahak Suvidha Kendras, and National Consumer Helpline to different social and linguistic groups. The government, through the introduction of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, and the setting up of the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), has been focusing more on regulating issues faced by consumers due to the online trade, privacy in the digital world, and false advertisements. Recent research also reveals that there is a stronger drive to connect consumer education with digital platforms and community-based programs. However, the challenges of regional disparities, digital illiteracy, and insufficient formal consumer education is still there and obstruct the level of awareness which is fairly distributed. The study argues that empowerment of consumers through legislation, education, and technology is vital in securing this empowerment in a rapidly changing market environment in India.