Through 946 shops operating under the Public Distribution System (PDS) in Sambhal district, distribution of essential commodities (wheat, rice, iodized salt, refined oil, and whole gram) is being done in accordance with the National Food Security Scheme. Similarly, the distribution of wheat and rice is being done under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana.

In some villages, complaints regarding the distribution of food grains were received during Janta Darshan and Tehsil Divas of the District Magistrate (DM). Keeping this in view, the DM decided that a list of complaints, received through various means, should be prepared and the Gram Sabhas with the highest rates of complaints were shortlisted.

In order to monitor the distribution of food grains at those shops and ensure transparency in matters of food distribution, the fair price sellers were directed to install two CCTV cameras at each of the 26 fair price shops in villages. It is mandated that the distribution of food grains should be done only under the surveillance of CCTV cameras. Post-distribution, CCTV camera footages were made available regularly to the Tehsil Office and District Supply Office.

The above footage is constantly monitored by the departmental officer at the tehsil level and the District Supply Officer. In addition, the District Magistrate inspects the footage of CCTV cameras from time to time at the District Control Room.

By employing this system at fair-price shops, complaints in the villages related to the distribution of food grains were reduced, resulting in better law and order. This improved the public trust in government and administration. Hence, the use of Information Technology (IT) for good governance has been successfully demonstrated.

Citizen-Centric Governance, Judiciary and Public Safety: Integrated Grievance Redressal System (IGRS)

The District of Sambhal was formed in 2011, and Shri Manish Bansal joined as the District Magistrate (DM) on April 15, 2022. Soon after taking charge, he observed the rising public grievances due to socio-economic backwardness. However, the grievances remained unattended due to the low strength of officers and employees in most offices. Therefore, aiming for a speedy, time-bound, and quality disposal of the public's complaints, the District Magistrate Office Special Cell was constituted.

Fig 1.1 DM Office Special Cell

The complaints received here are registered with a due date for disposal. These complaints are prioritized and stamped with red ink. It is then sent on WhatsApp or e-mail, and at the same time the concerned officer is also informed through a call so that they can be addressed in a timely manner.

Along with the daily compliance reports received, the complaints received in this cell are monitored daily by the DM of Sambhal. For reference, a photocopy of the complaint letter is attached with the inquiry report, and based on merits and demerits, they are then disposed off. The complainant is also informed about the satisfactory settlement through telephone.

As a result of the said cell's formation, the district's grievance redressal rank, which was previously 51st in November 2021, improved to 11th in July 2022. Also, the percentage of positive feedback on complaints, which was 45 percent in April 2022, increased to 61 percent in July 2022.

In this way, by implementing the above practice of resolving the problems of the public quickly and qualitatively, there has been an increase in the credibility of the public towards the government and administration. In addition, public participation in government schemes has also increased due to this initiative.