Content
- State Mining Readiness Index (SMRI) 2025
- National Consumer Helpline
State Mining Readiness Index (SMRI) 2025
Why in News
- The Ministry of Mines (16 Oct 2025) released the State Mining Readiness Index (SMRI) and State Rankings — a first-of-its-kind initiative to encourage mining sector reforms at the State level.
- This fulfills a key Union Budget 2025–26 announcement aimed at enhancing transparency, competitiveness, and sustainability in non-coal mineral development.
Relevance:
- GS 1 (Geography): Resource distribution, regional disparities.
- GS 2 (Governance): Cooperative & competitive federalism; Centre-State coordination.
- GS 3 (Economy/Environment): Mining policy reforms, sustainable resource use, data-driven governance.
Context
- Mining in India is governed by a federal structure — States play a major role in granting mineral concessions and ensuring operational efficiency.
- Yet, performance varies widely across States in exploration, auctioning, and environmental compliance.
- Hence, the SMRI was developed to:
- Evaluate readiness, efficiency, and reform orientation of States, and
- Encourage best-practice sharing and competitive federalism.
About the State Mining Readiness Index (SMRI)
Feature | Description |
Launched by | Ministry of Mines, Government of India |
Purpose | To assess and rank States on their readiness for mining sector reforms and operational efficiency |
Coverage | Focus on non-coal minerals |
Structure of Index | Comprises indicators under four key dimensions: |
1️⃣ Auction Performance | Timeliness and transparency of auctioning mining leases |
2️⃣ Early Mine Operationalization | Speed of converting auctioned mines into production |
3️⃣ Exploration Thrust | Investment, technology adoption, and survey activity for new mineral resources |
4️⃣ Sustainable Mining Practices | Compliance with environment, safety, and community engagement norms |
Categorization of States
States are grouped into three categories based on mineral endowment (extent and diversity of mineral resources):
Category | Description | Top 3 States (2025) |
Category A | Mineral-rich States | 🥇 Madhya Pradesh 🥈 Rajasthan 🥉 Gujarat |
Category B | Moderately endowed States | 🥇 Goa 🥈 Uttar Pradesh 🥉 Assam |
Category C | Lesser-endowed States | 🥇 Punjab 🥈 Uttarakhand 🥉 Tripura |
Significance
- Promotes Cooperative & Competitive Federalism
- Encourages States to benchmark and improve their mining governance.
- Policy Feedback Tool
- Identifies bottlenecks in auctioning, approvals, or sustainability compliance.
- Supports Atmanirbhar Bharat Goals
- Enhances domestic mineral availability for industries (steel, cement, electronics, etc.).
- Transparency & Accountability
- Publicly ranking States creates pressure for reforms and faster operationalization.
- Data-driven Governance
- Introduces measurable indicators to track State-level progress.
Sustainability and Environmental Focus
- SMRI includes sustainable mining parameters:
- Land reclamation, water use efficiency, waste management, and CSR outreach.
- Aligns with India’s Vision 2047 for Responsible Mining.
Wider Policy Context
- Union Budget 2025–26: Announced creation of SMRI to enhance States’ participation in mineral value chain.
- Reforms Complementing SMRI:
- Amendments to MMDR Act (2021) — greater private exploration participation.
- District Mineral Foundation (DMF) strengthening for local development.
- National Mineral Exploration Policy (NMEP) update for advanced exploration.
- Critical Minerals Mission (2024) — ensures strategic mineral security.
Implications
- SMRI bridges the policy-to-performance gap by ranking States on measurable outcomes rather than intent.
- It could reshape India’s mineral federalism, shifting from resource dependency to resource efficiency.
- Future integration with critical minerals strategy and digital mine monitoring (e.g., TAMRA portal) can make it a central tool for governance reform.
National Consumer Helpline
Why in News
- On 16 October 2025, the Department of Consumer Affairs highlighted major progress of the National Consumer Helpline (NCH) — its growing digital reach, refund facilitation, corporate partnerships, and new integration with the Next-Gen GST Reforms 2025.
- The NCH has emerged as a tech-enabled grievance redressal system empowering citizens, improving accountability, and reinforcing India’s consumer protection ecosystem.
Context
- The Consumer Protection Act, 2019 expanded India’s consumer rights architecture — including e-filing, product liability, and misleading advertisement regulation.
- Within this framework, the National Consumer Helpline (NCH) serves as a frontline mechanism for grievance redressal before litigation, strengthening consumer trust in governance.
Relevance:
- GS 2: Governance, e-Governance initiatives, citizen-centric services.
- GS 3: Consumer protection, ethical business practices, technology in governance.

About the National Consumer Helpline
Feature | Description |
Launched by | Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India |
Platform | consumerhelpline.gov.in |
Nature | Integrated Grievance Redress Mechanism (INGRAM) |
Objective | To guide consumers, resolve complaints, and create awareness about their rights and responsibilities |
Coverage | All consumer-related sectors including e-commerce, banking, travel, telecom, and FMCG |
Languages Supported | 17 Indian languages |
Helpline Numbers | 1800-11-4000 or 1915 (toll-free) |
Digital Transformation and Growth
Indicator | 2015 | 2024–25 | Growth |
Monthly Calls | 12,553 (Dec 2015) | 1,55,138 (Dec 2024) | 10x Increase |
Avg. Monthly Complaints | 37,062 (2017) | 1,70,585 (2025) | ~4.6x Increase |
Digital Mode Complaints | — | 65% (2025) | Major Shift |
WhatsApp Complaints Share | 3% (Mar 2023) | 20% (Mar 2025) | Rapid Digitization |
This surge reflects increased citizen awareness, greater digital access, and trust in online redressal systems.
Consumer Refund Facilitation (July 2025 Snapshot)
Sector | Complaints Resolved | Refunds Facilitated |
E-commerce | 3,594 | ₹1.34 crore |
Travel & Tourism | — | ₹31 lakh |
Total (27 sectors) | 7,256 grievances | ₹2.72 crore refunds |
Compared to April 2025: only 1,079 grievances with ₹62 lakh refunds — showing a 4x rise in refunds and 6x rise in cases resolved within three months.
Convergence Initiative (Corporate Collaboration)
Year | Number of Partner Companies |
2017 | 263 |
2025 | 1,142 |
Purpose:
- Enables real-time complaint forwarding to companies for direct resolution within 30 days.
- Builds corporate accountability, consumer trust, and social responsibility.
Benefits for Companies:
- Resolve disputes before escalation.
- Improve customer retention & brand loyalty.
- Demonstrate good governance & transparency.
Empowering Students – Refund Disputes (Feb 2025)
- Refunds worth ₹1.56 crore secured for 600+ students from coaching centres (Civil Services, Engineering, etc.).
- Enabled through NCH, ensuring transparency and student protection.
- Coaching institutes directed to adopt student-friendly refund policies.
Integration with Next-Gen GST Reforms 2025
Event | Details |
Context | Integration aligned with GST Council’s 56th meeting (Sep 2025) post GST rate revisions (from 22 Sep 2025). |
New NCH Category | Dedicated “GST-related complaints” section on INGRAM portal. |
Calls Received (till 2 Oct 2025) | 3,981 GST-related calls — 31% queries, 69% formal grievances. |
Forwarded Cases | 1,992 → CBIC, 761 → Convergence partner companies |
Major Complaint Themes:
- Misconception over milk & milk product GST exemptions.
- E-commerce firms not passing GST rate benefits (TVs, ACs, etc.).
- Confusion over LPG and petrol pricing.
Outcome:
Consumers actively engaging → shows rising awareness and system trust post-GST reforms.
Significance
- Strengthens Consumer Protection Framework under CPA 2019.
- Pre-litigation Redressal: Saves time and legal costs for citizens.
- Tech-driven Governance: Multi-channel access with AI-based tracking.
- Transparency & Corporate Accountability: Via convergence partnerships.
- Empowered Citizenry: Educates people on rights, duties, and processes.
- Policy Synergy: Integrates with GST reforms, Digital India, and UMANG.
Implications
- Governance Innovation: NCH exemplifies India’s “preventive justice” model — resolving disputes before escalation.
- Data-Driven Administration: Analytics from NCH feed into policy feedback loops on consumer behavior and sectoral malpractices.
- Social Equity Lens: Accessible in 17 languages, ensuring inclusivity in grievance redress.
- Next Step: Integration with AI chatbots and predictive grievance analytics can enhance real-time policy corrections.
Conclusion
The National Consumer Helpline has evolved into a pillar of citizen-centric governance, combining technology, transparency, and trust. By facilitating quick refunds, resolving GST-linked issues, and promoting cooperative accountability between the State, citizens, and industry, NCH is not just a grievance platform — it is the digital backbone of India’s consumer protection ecosystem.