Hyderabad: Narasimayya, a 62-year-old farmer from Alluri Sitaramaraju district in Andhra Pradesh, has been running pillar to post for months to get his inherited land mutated. Despite filing multiple complaints under the PGRS and assurances from chief minister Chandrababu Naidu’s office, his case remains unresolved. “I received a message saying that my grievance was closed. But nothing has changed,” he says.
Another resident from Anantapur district also said that their pension issue was marked “resolved” without action.
These stories mirror thousands across Andhra Pradesh who are losing faith in the system, even as the government claims to have resolved 90% of grievances.
The PGRS, rebranded from the previous Spandana initiative, under the Naidu government, was launched with much fanfare to address public complaints swiftly. However, ground reports reveal a stark contrast. Farmers and citizens allege rampant delays, especially in revenue offices, with many forced to grease palms to get work done.
Government claims vs. ground reality
Officially, the state’s grievance cell reports that 8,44,933 complaints were received, with 7,75,660 (90%) resolved and only 69,273 pending.
Public dissatisfaction rate is 78%, as per an independent interactive voice response (IVR) survey.
Status of public grievances on Andhra Pradesh government portal.
A total of 2.6 lakh complaints were received via village assemblies, 2.3 lakh through revenue department meetings, 52,475 online applications and 10,664 via CM’s grievance cell. Despite these numbers, an independent IVRS survey of 33,538 “resolved” cases found only 22% satisfaction, with dissatisfaction rates soaring to 81% for complaints handled by the CM’s office and 90% in districts like NTR and Annamayya.
However, according to the IVRS survey commissioned by the government, 78% of complainants expressed dissatisfaction with the resolution process. Of 15,953 respondents, only 22% were satisfied, while 80% of those who approached the CM’s office directly reported discontent. The government’s own feedback mechanism revealed alarming gaps. A total of 81% dissatisfaction was among complainants who approached the CM’s office. Moreover, there was 90% discontent in grievances handled at district levels and 81% dissatisfaction with education minister Lokesh’s public grievance meetings.
Officials are hastily closing complaints without resolving them. Some have even forced complainants to withdraw grievances, according to a local report, citing cases in Anantapur and NTR districts.
Rebranded system, same old problems
The Naidu government renamed Spandana to PGRS to distance itself from the previous Congress administration’s alleged corruption. Every Monday, collectors hold grievance meetings, and village assemblies are organized to hear complaints. Yet, delays persist.
“The system has become a mere formality. Officials show no urgency unless pressured,” says a farmer from Annamayya district.
While CM Naidu and Deputy CM Pavan Kalyan regularly review officials’ performance, bureaucratic apathy remains entrenched. The government has warned against falsifying grievance closures, but ground-level enforcement is lax.
With 1.75 lakh applications still unaudited and 29,400 complaints reopened due to faulty resolutions, the state faces mounting pressure to overhaul its grievance machinery. Citizens demand tangible results, not just statistics, to restore faith in Praja Vedika (people’s governance).
As the Naidu administration completes a year in office, bridging the gap between promises and performance remains its biggest challenge.
M. Balakrishna is a veteran journalist.