The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) organized the 5th National Workshop on Sevottam and Effective Redressal of Public Grievances on April 25, 2025, at the Institute of Management in Government (IMG), Kerala. The event saw participation from more than 100 officials from Administrative Training Institutes (ATIs) and state governments, focusing on capacity building and citizen grievance redressal in line with the Prime Minister’s governance vision.
The workshop featured a keynote address by V. Srinivas, Secretary, DARPG, highlighting reforms in multilingual grievance redressal via Bhashini, enhanced CPGRAMS features, and strengthened monitoring mechanisms to improve citizen satisfaction. The event included 18 speakers, with representatives from the Government of Kerala, Government of India, non-profit foundations, and technological organizations, alongside contributions from NIC and NeGD.
The agenda was divided into five practitioner-oriented sessions, showcasing best practices in grievance redressal, technology-driven solutions, and the role of non-profit organizations. The Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI) contributed recommendations on model capacity-building modules for ATIs, with discussions led by Professor Nirmalaya Bagchi on draft Sevottam rules, inviting inputs from state governments.
Sessions included insights from Chakravarthy T. Kannan, Secretary General, Quality Council of India, detailing CPGRAMS’ categorization framework to streamline grievance filing, making the process more intuitive and citizen-centric. The Centre for Good Governance, Hyderabad, presented its draft ranking model for state governments based on grievance redressal efficiency, seeking feedback from all ATIs.
Representatives from the Government of Kerala included Anu Kumari, District Collector of Trivandrum, Veena Madhavan, Special Secretary for Administrative Reforms, and Sreeram Sambasiva Rao, Special Secretary for IT. Other notable speakers included Amitabh Nag, CEO of Bhashini, K. Krishnakumar, CTO of e-Gov Foundation, Varun Hemachandran, Team Lead at Agami, and Nisheeth Srivastava, Professor at IIT Kanpur, who discussed policy reforms, service delivery enhancements, and innovative grievance solutions.
DARPG’s Sevottam Scheme continues to provide financial support for State ATIs/CTIs to establish Sevottam Training Cells. Over the last three financial years (2022-23, 2023-24, and 2024-25), 756 training courses have been conducted, benefiting 24,942 officers across state governments. This workshop follows previous National Workshops held in November 2024 (New Delhi) and February 2025 (Bhopal), strengthening collaboration among Central Ministries, State Governments, and ATIs.
The workshop reaffirmed India’s commitment to efficient, transparent governance, providing a platform for knowledge exchange and fostering best practices in grievance redressal and public service delivery.
