Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Eshwar B. Khandre has directed the department to develop a dashboard-based web portal and mobile application for registering and resolving public grievances.
According to the minister's written direction to the department secretary, residents will be able to submit complaints related to e-Swathu, property tax assessment, social forestry, lake management, lake encroachment, Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), drinking water, sanitation, rural roads, VB-G RAM G and creation of rural assets, among other issues.
Photo and Video-Based Complaints
Proposed system is intended to make the grievance process simpler and more transparent. Citizens will be able to submit photos and videos along with their complaints.
Platform is also expected to provide details of the officer handling a complaint, including the officer's name and contact number, while allowing citizens to track the status of their complaint. Khandre has also called for complaints to be resolved within a specified time limit, with the dashboard helping authorities monitor pending cases and action taken.
Focus on Transparency and Accountability
Minister said the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department has direct contact with nearly half of Karnataka's population, making it important for the department to respond effectively to rural grievances.
Complaints regarding deficiencies in government-funded works, poor infrastructure quality, delays in Gram Panchayat services and corruption have been reaching the department. The government has taken these issues seriously, he said.
Single-Window Grievance Platform
Khandre has proposed a single-window system for complaints concerning different wings of the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department. Proposed model is similar to grievance platforms such as Namma Bengaluru (https://nammabengaluru.org.in/) and the Sahaaya app, which allow citizens to register complaints related to various civic agencies.
If implemented, the new platform could give rural residents a more direct way to report problems, upload evidence, identify the responsible official and track the progress of their complaints online.
Keywords
Karnataka rural grievance system, e-Swathu complaints, Gram Panchayat services, Eshwar Khandre, rural development Karnataka, online complaint portal, Citizen News Puttur