For years, citizens visiting government offices have quietly endured long waits, confusing procedures, unhelpful responses, and at times indifferent behaviour. Complaints were often verbal, informal, or simply left unspoken, with no assurance that anyone in authority was listening.
That is set to change.
In a significant step towards citizen-centric governance, the Maharashtra Government has issued a Government Resolution (GR) on 4 February 2026, making it mandatory for every government office in the state to formally collect, record, review, and act upon feedback from citizens.
This move brings the idea of “Government is listening” out of speeches and into daily administrative practice.
From Complaint Boxes to Feedback Culture
Many government offices already had complaint or suggestion boxes. However, these were largely limited to grievances, rarely opened, and seldom used as tools for improving systems.
The new GR clearly acknowledges this failure. It states that existing mechanisms were restricted, ineffective, and not aligned with administrative reforms.
Instead of just complaints, the government now wants:
- Real experiences
- Honest suggestions
- Constructive criticism
- Feedback from both citizens and government employees
The focus has shifted from fault-finding to continuous improvement.
What Exactly Will Change Inside Government Offices?
Under the new policy:
- Every government office must install a locked Feedback Box in a visible location.
- Standard feedback forms must be kept near the box.
- Citizens are not forced to use a form — feedback written on plain paper is equally valid.
- Feedback can be anonymous.
This applies to all government and semi-government offices, including local bodies.
What Can Citizens Rate and Comment On?
For the first time, citizens are being officially asked to evaluate government offices on:
- Cleanliness and basic facilities
- Help received in resolving problems
- Behaviour of officers and staff
- Ease or difficulty of procedures
- Delays or efficiency
- Overall experience
- Government schemes, laws, and office functioning
Ratings are given on a 1 to 5 scale, along with open-ended written feedback.
This transforms the citizen from a passive applicant into an active evaluator of governance.
Government Employees Can Speak Too
In a notable departure from traditional top-down administration, the GR also allows government officers and staff to submit feedback through the same mechanism.
They can suggest:
- How government services can become more people-friendly
- What changes are needed in schemes, rules, or procedures
- Administrative or developmental improvements
This recognises that frontline employees often understand systemic flaws better than anyone else.
Monthly Opening, Mandatory Review, Public Transparency
To prevent feedback from being ignored:
- Feedback boxes must be opened every month on the 5th, or the next working day.
- They must be opened by the Head of Office or an authorised officer.
- Wherever possible, this should happen in the presence of staff and citizens, ensuring transparency.
- All feedback must be recorded in a Feedback Register with date, subject, and name (if provided).
Action, Not Just Acknowledgement
The GR draws a clear line between:
- Feedback that can be implemented at the office level
- Feedback requiring policy or rule changes
- Practical suggestions must be implemented immediately by the office head.
- Policy-level feedback must be forwarded to:
- Senior offices
- Department Secretaries
- The Secretary for Administrative Innovation, Excellence and Good Governance
This ensures that citizen voices can travel from a local office to the state’s decision-making level.
Why This Matters Beyond One Office Visit
The government has clarified that this feedback will be used for:
- Government Process Re-engineering
- District Good Governance Index
- Evaluation of government schemes
- Administrative reforms
- Policy formulation
In other words, citizen experience data will influence how governance itself is measured and redesigned.
Is This Real Reform or Just Another Circular?
On paper, this is one of the strongest acknowledgements by the state that:
- Governance must be judged by citizen experience
- Transparency must be institutional, not optional
- Feedback must lead to measurable improvement
The real test, however, will be implementation — whether feedback is sincerely reviewed and acted upon at ground level.
Still, for the first time, the government has created a formal, structured, and compulsory system that says:
Your experience matters. Your voice will be recorded. And it can lead to change.
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