Srinagar, Mar 12: Even as the government highlights digital governance reforms and citizen-centric administration in Jammu and Kashmir, over 23,000 public grievances were filed by citizens in the Union Territory in the past three years, with thousands still pending.
Details accessed by Rising Kashmir reveal that 22,386 grievances were received through the Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) between 2023 and 2025, reflecting growing reliance on the digital complaint platform for addressing administrative issues.
The data shows that 6,991 complaints were received in 2023, followed by 8,459 grievances in 2024 and 7,936 complaints in 2025 under the central grievance redressal portal. However, the figures also indicate that a significant number of complaints remained unresolved each year.
In 2023, authorities closed 17,858 grievances, but 2,052 complaints were still pending at the end of the year. The backlog increased in 2024, when the number of pending grievances rose sharply to 7,340, even as 3,171 complaints were disposed of during the year, according to the data.
In 2025, authorities closed 9,678 complaints, but 5,598 grievances remained pending, indicating continued pressure on the grievance redress system in the Union Territory.
The data highlights the scale at which citizens are using digital platforms to raise complaints about government services, while also pointing to persistent delays in grievance resolution.
Officials say several reforms have been introduced to improve grievance redressal.
According to the information, the government introduced a 10-step reform plan for the CPGRAMS platform in April 2022 aimed at making grievance redress more accessible and efficient.
Under new guidelines issued in August 2024, the government also reduced the grievance disposal timeline from 30 days to 21 days in an effort to speed up responses to citizen complaints.
The guidelines also mandate the integration of grievance platforms across departments, the creation of dedicated grievance cells and the appointment of nodal officers responsible for monitoring complaint resolution.
In addition, a review meeting module has been introduced within the CPGRAMS platform to enable senior officials to periodically review the status of grievances and identify administrative bottlenecks.
To improve the handling of public complaints, officials said training programmes have also been initiated for government personnel.
The Administrative Training Institute in Jammu and Kashmir has received support under the Sevottam scheme to conduct capacity-building programmes aimed at improving grievance redress and administrative responsiveness.
Authorities have also expanded the use of digital governance tools such as E-Office systems, dashboards and online service tracking platforms to improve transparency and reduce delays in file processing.
The Centre also evaluates public service delivery systems through the National e-Service Delivery Assessment (NeSDA), a biennial study that measures the effectiveness of government service portals across states and Union Territories.
The assessment examines parameters such as accessibility, ease of use, information security and service integration, with the aim of improving online service delivery mechanisms.
While digital governance initiatives have expanded access to complaint mechanisms, the data suggests that the timely resolution of grievances continues to remain a key administrative challenge in Jammu and Kashmir.
