Leh, April 23, 2026: Chief Secretary, Union Territory of Ladakh, Shri Ashish Kundra, today chaired a meeting 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 mechanisms 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, thereby minimizing administrative discretion and enabling real-time monitoring. The system will eliminate the need for citizens to manually file appeals, significantly improving accessibility, particularly for marginalized and digitally underserved populations.
During the meeting, Secretary, General Administration Department (GAD), delivered a detailed presentation outlining the framework for implementation of the auto-appeal system under the Right to Service guidelines. The presentation covered key aspects including the structure of appeals, required documentation, penalty provisions, technological framework, and practical challenges. Reference was also made to existing appeal mechanisms under similar legislations, including the Jammu & Kashmir Public Services Guarantee Act.
The meeting also reviewed 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 a total of 187 services has 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 for ensuring system readiness prior to launch of the Single Window Portal and stressed capacity building of officials and end users. He directed the concerned departments to conduct structured training workshops and ensure proper onboarding of all stakeholders. He further instructed that timelines for each service must be clearly defined and integrated into a real-time dashboard, indicating application status, delays, and automatic escalation mechanisms.
He 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 need for intelligent data analysis and suggested the use of advanced tools, including AI-based systems, to categorize and extract actionable insights from large volumes of complaints. He emphasized that grievances should be systematically routed through Deputy Commissioners, who would ensure field-level verification and timely redressal. Issues of policy nature, he noted, must be escalated to the Administrative Secretaries for detailed examination and resolution.
Reiterating the Administration’s commitment to citizen-centric governance, the Chief Secretary stressed that the auto-appeal mechanism will play a critical role in improving service delivery standards and ensuring accountability across departments.
The meeting was attended by senior officials including Secretary, PHE, Shri Surbir Singh; Secretary, IT, Ms. Shashanka Ala; Secretary, PWD, Shri Basir-ul-Haq Chaudhary; Secretary, GAD, Shri Gudra P. Goud; Secretary, Law, Shri Tariq Mehmood Qureshi; Special Secretary, GAD, Ms. Tashi Dolma (JKAS); and other officers from concerned departments.
