Public grievances break all records, 7-fold hike from UPA days
, ET Bureau|
Updated: Dec 08, 2017, 07.09 PM IST
NEW DELHI: Public grievances received by the government have already crossed the number of 14 lakh this year, up from about 12 lakh last year and 8.8 lakh in the year 2015. This comes even as the Prime Minister has been stressing in his monthly PRAGATI review meetings for efforts to make systemic changes so as to minimize grievances.
Minister of State for Prime Minister’s Office, Jitendra Singh on Friday confirmed that the number of grievances lodged by people had increased seven-fold since 2014, from about 2 lakh grievances to 14 lakh this year. “This is due to prompt response given by the Department to their grievances,” the Minister said at a review meeting on Friday with senior officials of the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG). “The Minister also expressed satisfaction that now about 99% grievances are being disposed of by the Department now,” a DARPG statement said.
But Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his monthly PRAGATI meetings, has been stressing on systemic changes to go to the root of public grievances and reduce their rising numbers. “Efforts should be made to make systemic changes so as to minimize grievances,” the PM said in the last PRAGATI review meeting on November 22 as well as one on September 27. While reviewing the public grievances at the Railways Ministry on April 26 this year, a Ministry which is along those who receive the highest number of complaints from public, the PM had said: “Railways Ministry should analyze the grievance of staff in detail and take suitable measures, not only to reduce the grievances but to prevent grievances and appropriately revisit rules and procedures.”
Incidentally, the government has been working on bringing down the grievance numbers which have only been rising in the last three years. The Quality Council of India (QCI) has done a study on the top 40 government departments receiving the maximum public grievances for identifying the root causes for the same and suggested systematic changes to the government to reduce the complaints. Two such reports have been submitted by QCI to the government, suggesting a number of steps.
Centre received 11.92 lakh grievances from citizens in 2016 against central government departments, a 35% increase from 8.8 lakh complaints that the Modi government got regarding its departments in 2015. In 2014, Centre’s departments had attracted only 2.7 lakh complaints from citizens. “The increasing number of grievances only shows the faith amongst the citizen in this government that a complaint if made will be resolved. We have shown our resolve by solving 99% of the complaints we got last year,” a senior DARPG official told ET. Minister Jitendra Singh on Friday said he was happy that the average response time to grievances has been reduced - like at the Department of Revenue from 108 days in 2014 to 25 days this year and similarly in the Department of Telecom, it has reduced from 19 days in 2014 to 12 days this year.
Minister of State for Prime Minister’s Office, Jitendra Singh on Friday confirmed that the number of grievances lodged by people had increased seven-fold since 2014, from about 2 lakh grievances to 14 lakh this year. “This is due to prompt response given by the Department to their grievances,” the Minister said at a review meeting on Friday with senior officials of the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG). “The Minister also expressed satisfaction that now about 99% grievances are being disposed of by the Department now,” a DARPG statement said.
But Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his monthly PRAGATI meetings, has been stressing on systemic changes to go to the root of public grievances and reduce their rising numbers. “Efforts should be made to make systemic changes so as to minimize grievances,” the PM said in the last PRAGATI review meeting on November 22 as well as one on September 27. While reviewing the public grievances at the Railways Ministry on April 26 this year, a Ministry which is along those who receive the highest number of complaints from public, the PM had said: “Railways Ministry should analyze the grievance of staff in detail and take suitable measures, not only to reduce the grievances but to prevent grievances and appropriately revisit rules and procedures.”
Incidentally, the government has been working on bringing down the grievance numbers which have only been rising in the last three years. The Quality Council of India (QCI) has done a study on the top 40 government departments receiving the maximum public grievances for identifying the root causes for the same and suggested systematic changes to the government to reduce the complaints. Two such reports have been submitted by QCI to the government, suggesting a number of steps.
Centre received 11.92 lakh grievances from citizens in 2016 against central government departments, a 35% increase from 8.8 lakh complaints that the Modi government got regarding its departments in 2015. In 2014, Centre’s departments had attracted only 2.7 lakh complaints from citizens. “The increasing number of grievances only shows the faith amongst the citizen in this government that a complaint if made will be resolved. We have shown our resolve by solving 99% of the complaints we got last year,” a senior DARPG official told ET. Minister Jitendra Singh on Friday said he was happy that the average response time to grievances has been reduced - like at the Department of Revenue from 108 days in 2014 to 25 days this year and similarly in the Department of Telecom, it has reduced from 19 days in 2014 to 12 days this year.
