Good Practices and Innovations in Public Governance 2003-2011

2010 Category 1: India
plicant has ever left without a firm reply to his or her grievance and a specific deadline
for action. Since the Chief Minister himself is strongly committed to this programme
and participates personally, there is great attention to resolving cases successfully.
Replicability and Sustainability
SWAGAT has been already proven to be sustainable; it has been in use for more than
six years without any problems in performance or public acceptance.
SWAGAT is financially sustainable because it is cost-effective for all stakeholders.
There is no charge to citizens to access SWAGAT through Gujarat’s state-wide
computer network, and using an online system reduces the travel, lodging, boarding
and opportunity costs that citizens would incur if they had to appear in government
offices. SWAGAT has also reduced the government’s expenses for processing
cases (for mailing and processing paperwork, tracking case status, etc.), as everything
is managed automatically by the online system. Due to the efficiency of the
software, government officials can deal with many steps in the process more effectively
and speedily.
In terms of technical sustainability, the SWAGAT system has been developed on “.net”
technology that will be easy to upgrade and integrate with other websites or software
in the future. The database has been designed to run on SQL Server, a widely popular
database management system.
As for replicability, SWAGAT was initially developed to redress grievances at the
state and district levels. The system has now been extended down to the sub-district
level, covering all 225 sub districts of Gujrat to reach over 55 million people. In addition,
the SWAGAT system has been replicated in other states in India, including
Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Lessons Learned
SWAGAT has been successful because it provides an effective, transparent and accountable
system for redressing citizens’ grievances against the government. The
online transmission of grievances saves all parties time and money, simplifies record
keeping and helps ensure that cases are handled expeditiously and fairly. The videoconferencing
with government officials, including the Chief Minister, helps citizens
and the administration to understand each other’s position and resolve grievances
satisfactorily. Moreover, the use of technology to compile, classify and analyse data
on grievances has brought to the fore many policy issues that required high-level attention.
As a result, top Gujarat authorities have made some policy changes that have
eliminated many causes of citizen complaints. Lower-level officials have also received
guidance and training to resolve problems at the local level.
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