The Telangana government has announced a major expansion of its flagship public grievance redressal programme, Prajavani, extending its reach from state and district headquarters to the grassroots level across the state. Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy issued the directive on Sunday, April 27, 2025, during a high-level meeting at the MCHRD Institute in Hyderabad, signalling a significant shift in how citizen complaints will be handled in Telangana.

Key Directives Issued by CM Revanth Reddy

Chief Minister Revanth Reddy instructed Chief Secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao and senior CMO officials to decentralise Prajavani services so that citizens no longer need to travel to distant Hyderabad or district headquarters to seek redressal. The move is designed to save time, reduce hardship, and make governance more accessible to ordinary citizens.

In the first phase, Prajavani services will be launched at the Revenue Division level. In the subsequent phase, services will be extended further down to the Mandal level, ensuring that even the most remote communities have direct access to the grievance system.

The Chief Minister mandated that officials at all administrative levels be available and accountable for resolving complaints and petitions submitted through the Prajavani framework.

Digital Infrastructure and Auto-Escalation System

A cornerstone of the expanded Prajavani initiative is the development of a unified digital platform for the registration, tracking, and resolution of citizen grievances. This platform will be supported by a real-time monitoring mechanism at both the district and state levels.

Critically, an auto-escalation system will be implemented to ensure that if a grievance remains unresolved at one administrative level, it is automatically forwarded to a higher-ranking official. An appeal mechanism may also be introduced to provide citizens an additional layer of recourse.

Every complaint submitted by citizens must be duly registered, forwarded to the relevant department, and the applicant must be kept informed about the status of their application — a mandate aimed at eliminating the opacity that has long frustrated users of government grievance systems.

Nodal Officers and Dedicated Prajavani Wings

Dedicated Nodal Officers will be appointed for Prajavani services at every administrative level. Additionally, specialised Prajavani wings will be established in every district and every government department to ensure structured, focused grievance handling.

CM Revanth Reddy warned that there must be absolutely no compromise in the grievance redressal process. Regular review meetings will be conducted at both district and state levels, with officials held accountable for any delays. A dashboard-based monitoring system will track progress on pending grievances.

Background: Prajavani's Journey Since December 2023

Prajavani was launched by CM Revanth Reddy shortly after assuming office on December 8, 2023, with the explicit objective of addressing citizens' grievances swiftly and transparently. Since its inception, Prajavani sessions have been held every Tuesday and Friday at the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Praja Bhavan in Hyderabad.

At the district level, Prajavani has been conducted weekly under the supervision of the respective District Collector, with officials from all government departments directly receiving applications and taking immediate action. This decentralisation push is seen as the next logical evolution of the programme.

Notably, the expansion comes amid growing public demand for more accessible governance mechanisms in Telangana, particularly from citizens in rural and semi-urban areas who have historically faced barriers in accessing state-level grievance forums.

Impact on Citizens and Broader Governance Implications

The decentralisation of Prajavani is expected to significantly reduce the burden on state and district-level grievance centres, which have reportedly been overwhelmed by the volume of petitions since the programme's launch. By bringing services closer to the people, the government aims to resolve complaints faster and with greater efficiency.

Critics and governance analysts will, however, be watching closely to see whether the administrative machinery at the Revenue Division and Mandal levels has the capacity and training to handle the increased workload. The success of the initiative will hinge on the quality of implementation, the responsiveness of newly appointed Nodal Officers, and the robustness of the digital platform.

With Telangana heading toward local body elections in the coming period, the expansion of Prajavani also carries clear political significance — demonstrating the Congress-led government's commitment to grassroots governance and citizen-centric administration. As the government sets deadlines and builds monitoring infrastructure, all eyes will be on whether this ambitious decentralisation delivers measurable relief to Telangana's citizens in the months ahead.