Innovation with IT

Online redressal of grievances

The grievance redressal mechanism in a state gives an idea of the level of its governance. Grievances should be addressed through formal channels, with unresolved grievances being dealt with at progressively higher levels. To bring about a revolutionary change in the way grievances were being addressed in Gujarat, the Statewide Attention on Grievances by Application of Technology (SWAGAT) online programme was launched on April 24, 2003, in Gandhinagar by the Chief Minister.
SWAGAT is aimed at assisting the common person in Gujarat in crossing the hurdles while following up with the government proceedings.

Process
SWAGAT is an effective application that makes good use of the high-bandwidth infrastructure set up in the state. An ICT-based communication application, it lets the Chief Minister himself supervise the public grievances dealings.
SWAGAT is a combination of digital management and WAN technology. It makes the registration of grievances instant. The application classifies the grievances into three categories—policy matters, first timers, long pending.
All grievances are displayed in the same manner to all connected functionaries through a web-based application developed by the NIC unit in Gujarat. The connected offices/departments look into the grievance and have to reply about its status online.  SWAGAT can be used for grievance redressal at the district level also once SWAN extends to all districts. It will soon be possible at the district level to deal with taluka and village grievances. The project can easily be replicated in any state of India, provided it has the right infrastructure and equipment support, by changing the regional language support system.

Impact
SWAGAT has delivered nearly 95 per cent grievance resolution rate of all cases dealt in a day. It has reduced the response time and cost of settling grievances. At the same time, it has ensured that grievances do not get into a long-pending loop.
Due to the timely addressal of their grievances, today the citizens of Gujarat are more satisfied. The number of grievances has also reduced remarkably. The number of people travelling to meet the Chief Minister has also come down as a result of this redressal mechanism.