The Indian government has issued comprehensive guidelines to reduce the timeline for public grievance redressal to 21 days from the previous 30 days. This development was announced on August 27, 2024, and is expected to bring about a significant change in the way public grievances are handled in the country.
The new guidelines were issued for the Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) portal, an integrated, user-friendly platform that operates as a single window for citizens to file their grievances. The portal, www.pgportal.gov.in, is designed to streamline the process of grievance redressal, making it more efficient and accessible.
In cases where the redressal of a grievance is likely to take longer than the stipulated 21 days, citizens will be given an interim reply. This provision is part of the order issued by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), the department responsible for the new guidelines.
The feedback on disposed grievances will be sent to the citizen via SMS and email. For every disposed grievance, feedback will be collected through the feedback call centre. If a citizen is not satisfied with the resolution, they can file an appeal to the next senior authority.
The guidelines also state that Nodal Officers for Public Grievances will be appointed in all Ministries and Departments. These officers will be responsible for addressing grievances promptly, fairly, and efficiently. Ministries and Departments with high grievance loads will have dedicated Nodal Officers.
The government will also use AI-powered analytical tools to analyze feedback from citizens. These tools include the tree dashboard and the intelligent grievance monitoring dashboard. A grievance redressal assessment index for ranking Ministries and Departments will be issued on a monthly basis.
The CPGRAMS portal has already redressed nearly 60 lakh Public Grievances in the period 2022-2024 and has mapped 1.01 lakh Grievance Redressal officers of ministries, departments, and states/union territories.
The new guidelines are in line with the Prime Minister's directions for making grievance redressal time-bound, accessible, and meaningful. They are expected to empower citizens and bring greater efficiency to the grievance redressal processes.
The move has been welcomed by various quarters, with many seeing it as a significant step towards improving the handling of public grievances. The Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions announced that these guidelines, part of the 2024 Policy Guidelines, reaffirm the government's dedication to addressing public concerns effectively.
The new guidelines also showcase recent technological advancements in the grievance handling system. A key feature of the new system is an integrated platform for filing grievances. The timeline for resolving grievances has been shortened from 30 to 21 days. In cases where resolution may take longer, citizens will be informed through an interim reply.
The government plans to appoint dedicated nodal officers in all ministries and departments to handle grievances efficiently. This is a significant move towards ensuring that the rights of citizens are upheld and that their grievances are addressed in a timely and efficient manner.
