Shillong, July 29: Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong on Wednesday inaugurated the East Khasi Hills District Portal, dc-ekh.in, aimed at strengthening public grievance redressal and improving the delivery of government services. The portal was launched at the conference hall of the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Shillong.
Addressing the gathering, Tynsong praised East Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner Abhilash Baranwal, IAS, for conceptualising the initiative, saying the portal would provide citizens with an accessible platform to raise grievances at the individual, village and community levels. He said the initiative would help strengthen the link between the district administration and the public while making grievance redressal more transparent and efficient.
The Deputy Chief Minister said the district administration has been introducing several citizen-centric measures to take government services closer to the people. Referring to recent reforms, he noted that District Transport Offices have also been directed to facilitate the issuance of driving licences as part of the government’s efforts to improve grassroots-level service delivery.
Describing the portal as the beginning of a broader transformation in governance, Tynsong said the government is working towards creating an efficient mechanism capable of delivering services to every citizen. He stressed the need for district-level digital governance and said every district should have a dedicated online platform to address issues falling within its jurisdiction.
While several government departments already provide online services, Tynsong said district administrations often face difficulties in coordinating and resolving grievances involving different departments and stakeholders. He said the East Khasi Hills District Portal is the first initiative of its kind in Meghalaya and expressed hope that it would serve as a model for other districts in the state.
Through the portal, residents will be able to submit complaints directly to the district administration. Each grievance will be acknowledged and forwarded to the concerned department for necessary action, with the objective of ensuring greater transparency and accountability.
Deputy Commissioner Abhilash Baranwal said citizens can lodge complaints directly through dc-ekh.in or submit their grievances through Gram Sevaks, who will forward them to the respective Block Development Officers. Complaints can also be sent by post or submitted directly at the Deputy Commissioner’s office.
Baranwal said the portal also provides an online tracking facility, enabling complainants to monitor the status and progress of their grievances. He said the system is expected to improve transparency, accountability and the timely resolution of public complaints.
The launch programme was attended by Additional Deputy Commissioners and other officials of the East Khasi Hills district administration.
