Chief Secretary of the Union Territory of Ladakh, Ashish Kundra, chaired a meeting on April 23 to review progress on Priority Area–23, focusing on the establishment of an Auto Appeal System under the Public Services Guarantee Act, 2011. The initiative aims to strengthen service delivery by ensuring timely, transparent, and accountable governance.

The proposed auto-appeal system is designed to automatically trigger a review in cases of delay or denial of public services. This will minimize administrative discretion and enable real-time monitoring. The system will also eliminate the need for citizens to manually file appeals, significantly improving accessibility, particularly for marginalized and digitally underserved populations.

During the meeting, the Secretary of the General Administration Department (GAD) delivered a detailed presentation outlining the implementation framework under the Right to Service guidelines. Key aspects included the structure of appeals, required documentation, penalty provisions, technological framework, and practical challenges. Reference was also made to similar mechanisms under existing legislations, including the Jammu & Kashmir Public Services Guarantee Act.

The meeting reviewed the integration of the auto-appeal system with major digital governance platforms such as the Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) Portal, Single Window Clearance System, and the Public Grievance Portal. It was informed that 187 services have been identified, including Government-to-Business (G2B) services, with 21 services currently onboarded on the EoDB portal. The average processing time stands at 13 days, with several applications already approved and new business registrations underway.

The Chief Secretary emphasized the need to ensure system readiness before the launch of the Single Window Portal and stressed capacity building for both officials and end users. He directed departments to conduct structured training workshops and ensure proper onboarding of all stakeholders. He further instructed that timelines for each service be clearly defined and integrated into a real-time dashboard displaying application status, delays, and automatic escalation mechanisms.

He also directed the IT Department to develop a robust monitoring dashboard with login-based tracking of officials to enhance transparency and efficiency.
While reviewing the Public Grievance Portal, the Chief Secretary highlighted the importance of intelligent data analysis and suggested using advanced tools, including AI-based systems, to categorize complaints and extract actionable insights. He emphasized that grievances should be systematically routed through Deputy Commissioners for field-level verification and timely redressal, while policy-related issues should be escalated to Administrative Secretaries for detailed examination.

Reiterating the administration’s commitment to citizen-centric governance, the Chief Secretary stated that the auto-appeal mechanism would play a critical role in improving service delivery standards and ensuring accountability across departments.

The meeting was attended by senior officials, including Secretary, PHE, Surbir Singh; Secretary, IT, Shashanka Ala; Secretary, PWD, Basir-ul-Haq Chaudhary; Secretary, GAD, Gudra P. Goud; Secretary, Law, Tariq Mehmood Qureshi; Special Secretary, GAD, Tashi Dolma (JKAS); and other officers from concerned departments.