The award for Bengal was for eSamadhan which is the CMO public grievance system
Calcutta:
The government of West Bengal received the highest honor from the Skoch Foundation for the performance of the grievance redress cell of the office of the chief minister. The prestigious and highest Digital India Platinum Award was presented in digital form at the 66th Skoch Summit on Thursday in New Delhi.
PB Salim, IAS, Principal Secretary in the Office of the Chief Minister, accepted the award on behalf of the government.
“Under the dynamic leadership of our Honorable Chief Minister, the government of West Bengal has taken countless steps to reach out to citizens to make government responsive and accountable. I am glad that one of the efforts has been recognized by the Skoch group, ”said Dit Salim.
“This award and recognition make us more and more responsible to citizens and in the days and years to come, I am sure that we will rise to the occasion and continue to serve the people,” he added.
The Skoch Foundation awards ten Silver Prizes each year – three Gold Prizes and one Platinum Prize to outstanding projects or projects selected across the country through a competitive process. The Bengal won the Skoch Platinum Award in 2014 for the Excise Department’s eAbgari project.
The Bengal Prize was awarded to eSamadhan, the CMO public complaints system. He was rated best in all categories out of around 4,000 entries, according to a government press release.
The eSamadhan system is unique, explained Mr. Salim, to ensure that government is accessible to citizens. People can voice their grievances on multiple digital platforms, including call centers. For those who do not have digital access, 2,700 centers have been set up to physically collect complaints.
The time limit for redressing grievances is 24 hours to 7 days. Once processed, the government contacts the complainant to ask if they are satisfied with the quality of the repair. If there is a problem, the grievance is revisited until the grievor is satisfied, Salim said.
“This is the only platinum award given out today. You must have done a good job,” said program host Gursharan Dhangal, also editor and CEO of Skoch Media.
The Skoch Prize celebrates excellence in the delivery of governance. Established in 2003, it has positioned itself as “the country’s highest civilian honor conferred by an independent organization”.
It recognizes the people, projects and institutions “who go the extra mile to make India a better nation”.
Other Skoch Prize winners included Wardha in Maharashtra and and Jagatsingpura in Odisha. They were among several towns and villages that have won silver medals for their response to the coronavirus. Telangana also won silver for governance as well as two gold medals.
