Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Dec 4: Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, Earth Sciences, MoS PMO, and departments including Atomic Energy, Space, Personnel, Public Grievances, and Pensions, presented data in Lok Sabha today showing a significant reduction in grievance redressal times.
The Minister emphasized that the Government has implemented several initiatives to improve accessibility for citizens in remote and rural areas. This effort has led to over 28 lakh citizens registering on the CPGRAMS portal from 795 districts across the nation, with an average of 70,000 registrations per month. In addition, the Government has partnered with Common Service Centres (CSC) to utilize the extensive network of Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs) in 5.6 lakh villages.
In 2023 and 2024, 4.68 lakh grievances were registered through Common Service Centres. The Government has initiated a 10-step reform in CPGRAMS to enhance awareness and usability, which includes features like regional language options on the CPGRAMS portal, citizen engagement through a feedback call center, simplified citizen registration processes, collaboration with CSCs, and the launch of a CPGRAMS mobile application.
Furthermore, several awareness programs have been conducted for VLEs, focusing on rural and farmer-centric schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) and Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN). The 20th of each month is designated as CSC-CPGRAMS Day to raise awareness and extend CPGRAMS outreach to rural communities.
The Centralized Pension Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPENGRAMS) has successfully cleared the backlog, with no grievances pending for over two years as of now. During the last two years (from 01.11.2022 to 31.10.2024), 1,68,964 grievances have been addressed.
For family pensioners and super-senior citizens, grievances are specifically categorized, especially those related to delays in initiating family pensions and additional pensions, to ensure better tracking. Additionally, regular reminders and monthly Inter-Ministerial Review Meetings (IMRMs) are held for these cases. Under the 100-day action plan, a month-long special campaign aimed at resolving family pension grievances launched in July 2024 achieved a 94% success rate.
The process of addressing pension grievances continues to be a priority. According to policy, all pension grievances are to be resolved in a decentralized, time-sensitive manner by the respective Ministries/Departments in line with the existing regulations. If final resolutions are delayed, an interim reply with explanations must be provided.
The Department regularly issues directives emphasizing the need for complete resolution of grievances within 21 days, down from the previous 30 days. The quality of resolutions is monitored through the feedback center, and appeals may be filed in cases marked as ‘Poor’. These measures have contributed to improving both the speed and quality of grievance redressal.
