Union Government Launches New Guidelines for Effective Public Grievance Redressal

The Union Government has issued comprehensive guidelines to streamline and enhance public grievance redressal, featuring a 21-day resolution timeframe and the use of AI analytics. The new guidelines aim to establish a more transparent and efficient system, reinforcing the government's commitment to citizen empowerment.

The Union Government on Monday issued comprehensive guidelines aimed at improving the handling of public grievances. Designed to empower citizens and streamline the redressal process, these guidelines bring greater clarity and focus to public grievance resolution. The Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions released these under the 2024 Policy Guidelines, emphasizing the government's commitment to effective grievance redressal while showcasing technological improvements with a 10-step reform process.

A key highlight of the guidelines is an integrated platform for grievance filing called the Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS). This user-friendly system will serve as a common platform for citizens to register grievances, offering a single-window experience. The timeline for grievance resolution has been shortened to 21 days from the earlier 30 days. For cases needing more time, interim replies will be provided to inform citizens.

Nodal officers will be appointed in all ministries and departments to address grievances promptly and efficiently. Departments with high grievance loads will have dedicated nodal officers. Their responsibilities will include effective categorization, monitoring, feedback analysis for process improvements, root cause analysis, and supervisory oversight. Additionally, AI-powered analytical tools like the tree dashboard and intelligent grievance monitoring dashboard will be used to analyze citizen feedback.

All ministries and departments are encouraged to periodically review their grievance redressal processes in senior officer meetings. A monthly 'grievance redressal assessment index' will rank various ministries and departments. According to the press release, the CPGRAMS portal addressed nearly 60 lakh public grievances between 2022 and 2024, mapping 1.01 lakh Grievance Redressal officers across Ministries, Departments, and States/Union Territories. (ANI)

(With inputs from agencies.)