Patna: The Bihar government will launch a new panchayat-level grievance redressal initiative, ‘Sahyog Shivir’, from May 19, aiming to bring administrative services closer to rural residents and ensure time-bound resolution of public complaints.
Under the programme, camps will be organised in panchayats in a sequential manner on the first and third Tuesday of every month. The initiative forms part of the state’s “Ease of Living” agenda under Saat Nischay-3, which focuses on delivering government services directly to citizens’ doorsteps.
According to an official directive issued by chief secretary Pratyaya Amrit, detailed guidelines have been circulated to divisional commissioners, district magistrates and senior police officials across the state for the implementation of the scheme.
The camps will be held at Panchayat Sarkar Bhawan or other designated public spaces, with officials from all departments required to be present. Citizens will be able to submit grievances both online and offline, with all applications registered and tracked through the Samvad Samadhan Portal.
The General Administration Department has also issued instructions through its secretary Mohammad Sohail, outlining the procedural framework for the initiative.
Applications for each camp will begin being collected 30 days in advance, officials said.
District magistrates have been given discretion to decide the number and distribution of camps within their districts, depending on administrative capacity and deployment of staff. Senior district officials, including the district magistrate or an equivalent officer, will chair the camps, along with participation from police and administrative services.
Officials will be required to provide written justification in cases where grievances cannot be resolved on the spot, along with a clear timeline for resolution to the complainant.
The government has described the initiative as an extension of its existing weekly grievance system, under which public issues are addressed every Monday and Friday at various administrative levels, including panchayat, block, subdivision and district offices.
The new camp-based system is intended to supplement the existing mechanism by offering a more accessible, community-based forum for grievance redressal at the village level.
