Fridays as Field Grievance Day to Speed Up Public Grievance Redressal
The Chief Minister declared that every Friday would be observed as Field Grievance Day, during which officials would directly visit constituencies to receive and resolve public complaints.
Vijayawada:Drawing inspiration from Singapore’s grievance redressal model, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday emphasised the need for faster and more localised problem-solving, including at the mandal level.
The Chief Minister declared that every Friday would be observed as Field Grievance Day, during which officials would directly visit constituencies to receive and resolve public complaints.
Addressing the district collectors’ meeting at the Secretariat in Amaravati, Naidu said governance must combine technological integration with a human touch. Officials must ensure that grievances are resolved immediately – and with accountability and compassion – so as to strengthen public confidence in the governance systems.
The state government, he said, would soon introduce a dedicated grievance redressal platform similar to Praja Darbar to strengthen the Public Grievance Redressal System. Public representatives and officials must jointly strive to resolve the grievances and ensure timely solutions at the grassroots level.
Naidu asked district collectors to visit every constituency four times a month and treat grievance redressal as a “goodwill mission” aimed at improving citizens’ trust in the government.
He said all official video conferences should be restricted to a single day each week so that officials could spend more time in the field, interacting directly with the people.
Reviewing the file clearance systems, public grievance redressal, data integration, AWARE and WhatsApp Governance initiatives, the chief minister expressed concern over delays in disposal of complaints and warned officials against negligence in grievance-handling.
Naidu appreciated the sharp improvement in e-file clearance timelines across the state. According to officials, the average file clearance time has reduced from nearly 10 days to about two days over the last three months.
Congratulating ministers, chief cecretary Sai Prasad, collectors, SPs and departmental secretaries, Naidu said some files were being cleared within hours despite heavy workloads.
The CM directed officials to further accelerate file disposal and move towards a near-complete digital governance system with minimal manual intervention. Stressing accountability in administration, he instructed that e-files should, wherever possible, be disposed of within 24 hours.
Naidu observed that online delivery of government services would help reduce corruption, misuse and unnecessary delays. He noted that nearly 90 per cent of the government services were already available through WhatsApp Governance platforms. He asked officials to ensure that all services are fully integrated by December this year.
The CM also emphasised the need to strengthen disaster warning systems, regulate illegal constructions in urban areas and improve data-driven governance through integrated dashboards and real-time monitoring systems..
