An update on SWAGAT

In 2003, the State Government in Gujarat, India, introduced an ICT-based communication application to improve the way that public grievances were dealt with.

Government plays a sizable & important role on socio-economic front of any individual/society in India. Citizens can submit a "public grievance (PG)" – a complaint that their application/registration/case has not been dealt with for a long time without any reason given, or has not been dealt properly. The Public Grievance system, if it works well, is critical to the transparency and accountability of Government, since it offers a key mechanism by which public servants can be held to account for their actions/inactions.

GoG started so called “Jansampark Cell” in 1998 where grievances were received, processed, forwarded, monitored, analysed for preparation & submission of summary reports.

It was then suggested that the Chief Minister (CM) become directly involved in the process. Thus the idea of SWAGAT day arise – a single day in each month when applicants can submit long-standing grievances to be reviewed by the Grievance Cell (GC), with hard-to-resolve cases passed up for direct intervention of the CM. He hears these grievances direct from the applicant, takes up the case with Government stakeholders involved, & then attempts to resolve the grievance.

Citizens can register a grievance on any day, & most should be resolved without need for recourse to the SWAGAT mechanism. However, on SWAGAT day (the 4th Thursday of each month), applicants whose grievance has not been resolved can press for that grievance to be taken up under SWAGAT. They deposit their grievances between 10.30 & 12.30 in reception area of the GC in the CM's Secretariat. The GC's SWAGAT determines which grievances are eligible. Cases selected are those that are particularly long-standing/where there is some acute humanitarian issue.

By 14.30 on SWAGAT day, GC presents a summary report to the CM with details of all the grievances. His attention will be drawn particularly to those cases that are outstanding on the day (i.e. for which the status report from the concerned department does not resolve the case). However, the CM reviews all cases submitted & may well speak to applicants even where the case is shown to have been resolved on the day. Where the case has not been resolved, the applicant can make a brief initial face-to-face presentation to the CM, who then contacts Government staff involved by video-conference (VC). Multi-Party VC facilities are available, enabling discussion between applicant, CM, & officials. The aim is to resolve outstanding grievances on the day.

The goal for SWAGAT was to improve the efficiency & effectiveness of Public Grievance handling in the state: both directly through SWAGAT & indirectly through the incentive effect on other grievances of staff not wishing to have to be called before the Chief Minister. Resolving long pending issues on the SWAGAT day will inculcate the faith & confidence in Governance as well as providing a demonstrable example of transparency & accountability.

The secondary goals for SWAGAT were to provide an effective ICT application that made good use of the high-bandwidth infrastructure set up in the state. Government recognised the strength & potential of ICT tools to bridge the gaps between the “demand & supply” of services to the public & “reciprocal access” between the two. GSWAN/SWAGAT sends clear messages inside & out side the Government about the modernity of Government, & the relevance of ICT.

This programme is presently a two tier arrangement at the State level as well as at the district level. At the district level a prior public notice is given to the people to represent their grievances. The grievances are collected, compiled and processed and on the day of the SWAGAT programme, the applicants are heard and their grievances redressed in the presence of a team of key officers of the district led by the district Collector. This district level programme takes place in the morning hours.

At the same time, those who are not satisfied with their previous encounters with the local administration, a forum has been made available at the level of Hon. CM at Gandhinagar. Such applicants may come to Gandhinagar along with their representation and approach the Hon. CM’s office for redressal of their grievance. A day in a month – 4th Thursday has been fixed and announced for such representations. Both the above arrangements are over and above the existing arrangements for public accessibility, hearing and redressal.

SWAGAT online program is held on every fourth Thursday of each month in the Chief Minister’s office in Gandhinagar. On this day the district level SWAGAT program is also held in each district by the district collectors in the forenoon. Prior notice to the public is given to enable them to represent their grievances. All government officers remain in their offices on this day to redress the grievances, provide information and to follow up the decisions taken.

Benefits

The system has reduced the response time & cost of settling grievances: a benefit for both Government & citizens. The direct resolution of grievances, SWAGAT has had an even more powerful indirect impact in encouraging state officials to resolve grievances before they reach the SWAGAT stage, given the significant threat that the CM may become personally involved.

Status:
GRIEVANCE STATISTICS FOR SWAGAT (From 24/04/2003 to 31/08/2008)

24/04/2003 to 31/08/2008
State Level District Level Taluka Level
Total Grievance received 934 40423 16147
Total Grievance redressed 907 38307 14419
Total Complaints Pending 27 1044 1728

Achievement:
§ Selected as one of the three international best practice case studies on e-transparency from Developing Transitional Countries in a project sponsored by COMMONWEALTH TELECOMMUNICATIONS ORGANISATION & coordinated by THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER in 2003.
§ Selected as Special mention in e-Government category for MANTHAN AWARD for the year 2005.
§ Selected as the finalist for United Nations Public Service Awards, 2006.
§ Selected as a finalist for MICROSOFT e-Governance Awards for the year 2006.
§ Replicated in Madhya Pradesh for online Grievance Redressal System of Chief Minister under “SAMADHAN ONLINE” banner in January,2006 as a hindi version of “SWAGAT”
§ Replicated in Rajasthan for online Grievance Redressal System of Chief Minister under “e-SAMADHAN” banner in January,2007 as a hindi version of “SWAGAT”