Odisha minister Suresh Pujari launched WhatsApp system for grievance redressal

BHUBANESWAR: Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari on Wednesday introduced a WhatsApp-based grievance redressal system through the state government's 'Ama Sathi' chatbot.

Key points

• Extra chief secretary Arabinda Padhee stated the system would facilitate direct monitoring by the minister, department secretary and senior authorities, thereby enhancing accountability among field-level officers.
• Complainants will receive WhatsApp updates at every stage, including registration, scrutiny, field verification, transfer to higher authorities, resolution or rejection of their complaints.
• The administration additionally intends to digitise complaints received physically at revenue offices and integrate them into the unified platform.
• He remarked the initiative would produce revenue services more accessible and strengthen public confidence in the administration.
• Under the new mechanism, complaints will be routed to the appropriate authority.

Notably, the system will enable individuals to lodge complaints related to revenue services through WhatsApp at 9437292000, upload supporting documents and track the status of their grievances digitally without visiting administration offices, Pujari noted.

Under the new mechanism, complaints will be routed to the appropriate authority. While cases requiring field verification may be referred to the revenue inspector, in general revenue matters, the tehsildar will conduct the initial examination. Depending on the nature and complexity of a grievance, cases can subsequently be escalated to the sub-collector, extra district magistrate or collector.

Complainants will receive WhatsApp updates at every stage, including registration, scrutiny, field verification, transfer to higher authorities, resolution or rejection of their complaints. They will additionally be able to rate the service and provide feedback.

In practice, the system covers grievances related to land records, mutation, correction of Records of Rights (RoR), land conversion, partition, encroachment, demarcation, provisions of the Odisha Land Reforms Act, land revenue, registration and stamp duty, disaster relief and certificates.

Meanwhile, the administration additionally intends to digitise complaints received physically at revenue offices and integrate them into the unified platform.

For now, odisha minister Suresh Pujari launched WhatsApp system for grievance redressal remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.