Amaravati, June 29 (IANS) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Monday directed officials to make government services more accessible and citizen-friendly.

Reviewing the performance of various departments from the Real Time Governance Society (RTGS) Centre at the Secretariat, the Chief Minister directed the officials to simplify and streamline the service delivery mechanisms.

According to an official release, officials informed the Chief Minister that the government has already initiated measures to simplify procedures, beginning with 11 categories of services.

The Chief Minister directed officials to further strengthen the public grievance redressal system and make it more accessible to citizens. He suggested enabling people to lodge complaints online and through the Mana Mitra WhatsApp platform.

He also instructed officials to ensure that even voice messages sent through the platform are accepted. When the officials informed that nearly 3,000 locations currently face mobile connectivity challenges, the Chief Minister directed officials to resolve these issues within three months.

The officials gave a presentation on the “Navachethana” early childhood development screening programme being implemented by the Department of Women and Child Welfare.

They explained that the programme assesses children’s physical and mental development. So far, 33,949 children have been screened across the state. Officials said that, in addition to screening children attending Anganwadi centres, teams are also conducting household visits. A pilot project will also be implemented to ensure appropriate follow-up actions after screening.

Officials said a circular has been issued mandating field visits by senior officers. Accordingly, Secretaries will spend three days, Heads of departments six days, and district collectors eight days every month on field visits.

The Chief Minister instructed officials to identify areas facing major issues and provide immediate solutions.

The officials said Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) have been issued to further improve the functioning of the Public Grievance Redressal System (PGRS).

The Chief Minister visited the RTGS Centre along with the Director General of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Chandrajit Banerjee and other CII representatives. IT Secretary Katamneni Bhaskar explained the functioning of RTGS to the delegation and highlighted the use of Artificial Intelligence and other technologies in governance.

He also presented case studies on RTGS’ response during natural disasters.

The Chief Minister urged CII representatives to expedite the establishment of the CII Global Leadership Centre in Andhra Pradesh.

Chief Secretary G Sai Prasad and DGP Harish Kumar Gupta participated in the meeting.

–IANS

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