PANAJI: Goa has ranked fourth among nine small states in the Consumer Justice Report 2026, scoring 3.98 out of 10, with a significant number of consumer disputes continuing to remain unresolved for years.
According to the report, 147 cases were pending before Goa’s State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission in 2025. Of these, 46 cases, accounting for 31.3% of the total, had remained unresolved for more than three years.
Another 60 cases had been pending for one to three years, while 41 cases had been awaiting resolution for less than a year. The figures highlight persistent delays in providing timely relief to consumers.
Meghalaya topped the small-states category with a score of 5.58, followed by Sikkim at 4.72 and Himachal Pradesh at 4.20. Goa’s score of 3.98 placed it fourth in the assessment.
The commission’s case disposal performance has fluctuated over recent years. In 2022, it disposed of 180 cases against 177 new filings. In 2023, disposals increased to 379 against 214 fresh cases. However, in 2024, the commission disposed of 245 cases, falling short of the 250 new cases registered.
The report also highlighted lower budget utilisation in 2025. Against an allocation of ₹5.40 crore, the commission spent ₹3.48 crore, leaving ₹1.92 crore unspent. The utilisation rate stood at 64.6%, compared with 84% in 2024, when expenditure was ₹4.43 crore against a budget of ₹5.28 crore.
The commission’s budget allocation increased from ₹3.44 crore in 2021–22 to ₹5.40 crore in 2024–25. Expenditure during 2021–22 stood at ₹2.35 crore, representing 68.1% utilisation, while spending in 2022–23 reached ₹3.24 crore, with a reported utilisation rate of 97.5%.
The Consumer Justice Report 2026 assesses consumer dispute redressal institutions based on parameters including case disposal, pendency, staffing, budget utilisation and alternative dispute resolution.
While Goa secured fourth place among small states, the number of long-pending cases and the decline in budget utilisation point to continuing challenges in ensuring faster and more effective consumer justice.
