Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has instructed officials to implement more transparent procedures in the Prajavani public grievance redressal programme, which has been progressing successfully. He emphasised the need to integrate the district-level Prajavani activities with the centralised Prajavani dashboard at the Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Praja Bhavan.

During a high-level review meeting held at the Dr B.R. Ambedkar State Secretariat, the Chief Minister assessed the ongoing twice-weekly Prajavani programme being conducted at the Praja Bhavan. He reviewed the petitions submitted by citizens to date, the number of grievances resolved, and the methods followed by officials in addressing them.

Since December 2023, Prajavani has been held 117 times, during which 54,619 petitions were received. Of these, 68.4% (37,384 petitions) have been resolved, officials informed the Chief Minister.

Mr Reddy directed that not only the details of the petitions but also comprehensive information on government welfare schemes should be made transparently available online. He suggested designing a portal that would allow citizens to easily access information about beneficiaries and the implementation status of government schemes.

Officials also explained that dedicated desks have been set up for different departments within Prajavani, including a special ‘Pravasi Prajavani’ desk to address issues faced by the Gulf migrant community. Measures have been taken to ensure a smooth process for petitioners, including on-the-spot resolution of urgent cases and the provision of ambulance services on Prajavani days.

The Chief Minister instructed that he be given live access to the Prajavani dashboard, allowing him to monitor the types of petitions submitted and their resolution status from anywhere. This, he said, would help him guide officials effectively and ensure timely action.

He also stressed the importance of safeguarding individuals' privacy, stating that a thorough review must be undertaken to determine which information should be kept confidential in accordance with existing laws, and which should be made public. A committee of senior officials is to be formed to draft appropriate guidelines.

The meeting was attended by Ministers Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, Ponnam Prabhakar, Vice Chairman of the Planning Commission Chinnareddy, Chief Secretary Shanti Kumari, Prajavani Nodal Officer Divya, and other senior departmental officials.