Digital Feedback Management System: A Unified Platform for Accountability and Citizen-Centric Governance

Introduction

In today’s governance landscape, citizens expect the same level of responsiveness, transparency, and efficiency from government services as they do from leading private enterprises. For state governments, this expectation presents both a challenge and an opportunity. While traditional grievance mechanisms and feedback channels often remain fragmented, slow, or opaque, forward-looking administrations are reimagining how they engage with citizens.

CSM’s Digital Feedback Management System (DFMS) emerges as the solution—an integrated, tech-enabled platform that consolidates citizen feedback, automates grievance redressal, and provides data-driven insights to improve public service delivery. For state governments committed to building trust and accountability, DFMS is not just a tool—it is a governance transformation strategy.

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Why State Governments Need DFMS Now

Traditional feedback systems—manual registers, standalone call centers, or siloed portals—fall short in today’s digital-first world. They lack scalability, transparency, and the ability to generate actionable insights. This creates gaps in service delivery and weakens citizen trust in governance.

A unified digital feedback platform addresses these shortcomings by:

Bringing all citizen feedback under one umbrella, regardless of channel.
Offering real-time visibility into service performance at every administrative level.
Creating accountability through automated workflows and escalation mechanisms.
Empowering policymakers with data insights to make informed decisions.

Simply put, DFMS equips governments to listen better, respond faster, and govern smarter.

Core Value Proposition for Governments

The DFMS is designed to deliver measurable improvements across governance functions:

Enhanced Citizen Engagement: Citizens can share feedback through multiple channels—IVRS, mobile apps, WhatsApp, web portals, or contact centers—ensuring inclusivity.
Proactive Grievance Redressal: Automated workflows and escalation matrices ensure that complaints are routed to the right authority and addressed within defined timelines.
Real-Time Monitoring: State, district, and departmental dashboards offer insights into service performance, citizen satisfaction, and recurring issues.
Data-Driven Governance: AI-powered analytics and sentiment mapping help identify systemic gaps, measure policy impact, and prioritize reforms.
Accountability & Transparency: Role-based dashboards and MIS reports fix accountability on officials while giving citizens visibility into the status of their feedback.

Transforming Public Service Delivery: The Odisha Model

State governments don’t have to look far for a proven success story. Odisha has pioneered Digital Feedback Management System (DFMS) adoption through flagship initiatives like Mo Sarkar, Ama Shasana, and Jana Sunani. Together, these platforms have strengthened trust in governance, improved service delivery, and created a transparent ecosystem of accountability.

Ama Shasana – Omnichannel Feedback for Citizen Empowerment

Launched as an integrated citizen feedback and empowerment platform, Ama Shasana brings professionalism and transparency to government offices. Citizens can share their experiences through multiple channels—WhatsApp, IVRS, mobile apps, and a dedicated helpline.

Covers 150+ services across 20+ departments.
Uses AI-driven sentiment analysis to measure satisfaction levels.
Offers geo-tagged mobile apps for field inspections and program monitoring.
Integrates with state platforms like the Odisha Dashboard and Jana Sunani for seamless redressal.

Impact: Citizens gain multiple avenues to be heard, while officials are held accountable through real-time dashboards and escalation mechanisms. This has created a culture of responsiveness and continuous improvement across government departments.

Mo Sarkar – Proactive Leadership Engagement

Mo Sarkar (“My Government”) marked a paradigm shift in Odisha’s governance approach by introducing direct citizen engagement from the Chief Minister’s Office. Under this program, citizens visiting government offices register their mobile numbers, and follow-up calls are made by the Chief Minister, ministers, or senior officials to assess their service experience.

Runs on a Contact Centre as a Service model with outbound and inbound calls.
Targets 3,500+ connected calls daily, ensuring broad outreach.
Links officers’ performance appraisals to their responsiveness in resolving citizen complaints.
Drives behavioural change and professionalism in public offices.

Impact: Since its launch on 2nd October 2019, Mo Sarkar has transformed how citizens perceive governance. It has instilled a strong sense of accountability among officials and brought dignity and respect back into citizen-government interactions.

Jana Sunani – Unified Grievance Redressal System

Jana Sunani is Odisha’s unified grievance redressal platform, providing citizens with multiple channels to lodge complaints—via web portal, mobile app, WhatsApp bot, call centers, and even during field visits. Its design ensures inclusivity by catering to both urban and rural populations.

Provides a 24×7 grievance registration system with real-time tracking.
Implements a top-down escalation matrix to ensure timely resolutions.
Sends acknowledgments and status updates to citizens via SMS and WhatsApp.
Introduced slot booking for CM grievance hearings, making the process orderly and citizen-friendly.

Impact: Jana Sunani has significantly reduced grievance resolution times—from weeks to within 24–48 hours in many cases. With 1,000+ grievances registered per session during CM hearings and 88% resolution rates in district camps, the platform has strengthened last-mile connectivity and made governance more responsive.

Together, Ama Shasana, Mo Sarkar, and Jana Sunani form a holistic feedback and grievance management ecosystem in Odisha. By combining omnichannel citizen engagement, leadership-led outreach, and unified grievance redressal, Odisha has:

Improved accountability across departments.
Built stronger trust in public institutions.
Enhanced service delivery quality and responsiveness.
Established a governance model that other states can replicate.

The Road Ahead for State Governments

For states seeking to strengthen citizen engagement, modernize feedback systems, and deliver better public services, DFMS offers a ready-to-implement solution. It is scalable, adaptable, and integrates seamlessly with existing government systems—from grievance portals to beneficiary databases.

By adopting DFMS, state governments can:

Build trust through transparent and inclusive engagement.
Reduce inefficiencies with faster, structured grievance redressal.
Make evidence-based policy decisions powered by real-time citizen insights.
Align with global best practices and Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16.6 on effective and accountable institutions.

The future of governance is citizen-first. For state governments, adopting a Digital Feedback Management System is not just about improving feedback processes—it is about transforming the way governments listen, respond, and deliver.

The time to act is now. By investing in DFMS, state governments can build a governance model that is transparent, accountable, and truly responsive to the people they serve.

AUTHOR:

Tapaswini Swain

Lead-Marketing Communications, Marketing