Hyderabad: The Mandal Prajavani programme will begin across Telangana from August 17, with 560 MPDOs taking charge as Mandal Nodal Officers. They will handle public grievances at the mandal level.
State-level Prajavani In-charge and Telangana State Planning Board Vice-Chairman Dr. G. Chinna Reddy gave the directions at a training programme held at Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Praja Bhavan on Thursday. The programme trained 560 MPDOs for their new responsibilities.
Dr. Chinna Reddy said officials remained accountable to the people. He asked them to work with dedication and make grievance redressal their primary responsibility.
He said Mandal Nodal Officers and other departmental officials would play a crucial role in addressing complaints received through Prajavani. In particular, they should patiently hear citizens who travel from villages with their problems.
Officials should listen carefully, receive applications and make every possible effort to resolve issues at the field level. They should also prevent genuine grievances from remaining pending.
Dr. Chinna Reddy reminded officials that people were the masters. Therefore, serving citizens remained the basic responsibility of every government employee.
He said the administration should remain accessible to people and respond to their genuine needs. Officials should also ensure that citizens did not face unnecessary difficulties while seeking government assistance.
Officials asked to uphold CM Revanth Reddy’s trust
Dr. Chinna Reddy asked MPDOs to uphold the confidence that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy had placed in them. The Chief Minister had entrusted them with the responsibility of serving as Mandal Prajavani Nodal Officers.
He urged officials to use Prajavani effectively and resolve complaints brought by citizens. In addition, he said the programme should help poor and disadvantaged people obtain appropriate assistance and relief.
Dr. Chinna Reddy said the State-level Prajavani programme had achieved a 75 per cent success rate in resolving grievances. Therefore, he asked district and mandal officials to work with similar commitment.
He also stressed coordination among officials at the mandal level. They should work together and avoid shortcomings or lapses while discharging their responsibilities.
Arrangements planned for August 17 launch
The Mandal Prajavani programme will start statewide for the first time on August 17. Dr. Chinna Reddy asked officials to complete all arrangements before the launch.
Officials should organise mandal-level facilities on the lines of the Chief Minister’s Prajavani programme. They should establish department-wise help and grievance desks for citizens.
In addition, help desks should assist people in preparing and submitting applications. Officials should also arrange adequate medical services and drinking water facilities.
Special assistance should be available for senior citizens and persons with disabilities. Meanwhile, officials from different departments should coordinate their work to ensure efficient grievance redressal.
Dr. Chinna Reddy said the mandal-level system should allow people to submit grievances and seek solutions without unnecessary difficulties.
Vidyasagar stresses responsibility of public servants
State Nodal Officer K. Vidyasagar said Prajavani officials should remember that people were the masters and government employees were their servants.
He said officials should never forget their role as public servants. Moreover, Mandal and District Nodal Officers should remain accessible to citizens at their offices.
Vidyasagar said officials should treat grievance redressal as an important duty. They should not merely receive applications.
Instead, they should examine genuine complaints and take responsibility for resolving them, he said.
Srinivasulu asks officials to reassure complainants
Vemula Srinivasulu, Chief Minister’s OSD and officer overseeing Prajavani-related affairs in the Chief Minister’s Office, asked MPDOs to reassure people who approach the programme with multiple problems.
He said many people came to Prajavani after facing difficulties for a long period. Therefore, officials should hear them patiently and with empathy.
Srinivasulu asked Mandal Nodal Officers and other departmental officials to work in a manner that earned and strengthened public trust and confidence.
Divya Devarajan stresses patient hearing
Commissioner of Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Departments Divya Devarajan said patient listening could resolve half the problem faced by a person approaching Prajavani.
She asked officials to hear every grievance carefully and take firm action towards finding solutions. Furthermore, she stressed the importance of a people-centric approach.
Officials should not merely record complaints. Instead, they should follow up each grievance until appropriate action was taken, Devarajan said.
Training covers grievance registration and coordination
During the training programme, experts explained the procedures that officials would need to follow while conducting Mandal-level Prajavani. They used PowerPoint presentations to brief participants.
The sessions covered organisational arrangements, grievance registration and processing, coordination among departments and public facilitation. They also explained other operational aspects of conducting Prajavani at the mandal level.
The training aimed to prepare the 560 MPDOs to discharge their responsibilities efficiently and in a people-friendly manner. The programme preceded the statewide launch of Mandal-level Prajavani on August 17.
Director of the Planning Department Sheikh Meera, CM Prajavani ACP Umender, Deputy Collector Venkateshwarlu, Centre for Good Governance official Sushila, CM Prajavani officials and others attended the training programme.