Jan suvidha kendra: A 24×7 grievance redressal system

In December last year,Baldev Prasad Goswaha,45,a small-time farmer of village Ninora,nearly 70 km off Jhansi,worked for the forest department of the Uttar Pradesh...

In December last year,Baldev Prasad Goswaha,45,a small-time farmer of village Ninora,nearly 70 km off Jhansi,worked for the forest department of the Uttar Pradesh government as a labourer under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.

But when three months later,he didnt get his wages for the 18 days that he had spent digging a well near his village in Bundelkhand,Goswaha borrowed his nephews cellphone,called the Jan Suvidha Kendra in Jhansi on March 3 and lodged his complaint. By March 18,he received a cheque for Rs 1,300,signed by the District Forest Officer.

I had heard

about the Jan Suvidha Kendra. All I had to do was make a phone call, he says.

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It is for this convenience offered to Goswaha and the 2.5 lakh citizens of Jhansi that NASSCOM conferred its Social Innovation Award to the administration of Jhansi district in February this year.

A brainchild of District Magistrate Raj Shekhar,the Jan Suvidha Kendra is a public grievance redressal system through which people can register their grievances and complaints through mobile and landline phones from anywhere in the district 24X7 and expect a quick response. Taking e-governance to another level,the system also keeps a tab on the action taken on the complaint and keeps the complainant informed through text messages. Officials,including the DM,even check with the complainant a few days after a case is reported as resolved.

Apart from ensuring better delivery of welfare schemes,the helpline,set up in June 2009,deals with complaints such as power cuts,water problems and accidents.

How it works

Anyone who has a complaint calls on a toll-free number. The officer in the control room registers the complaint,gives a unique complaint number and informs the officer concerned immediately. The information is uploaded on the online system and an SMS is sent to both the complainant and the officers concerned. Status of action taken on the complaint is updated online every day,till it is addressed.