Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan has directed government departments to hold monthly meetings of department secretaries to speed up file clearance, review flagship programmes and improve the delivery of public services across the state.
The decision was taken at a meeting of department secretaries convened by the chief minister in Thiruvananthapuram. Satheesan instructed officials to streamline file processing, reduce delays in departmental work and ensure that government decisions move more quickly from approval to implementation.
The government will also examine ways to organise and streamline the files handled by departments, with the stated objective of reducing the workload of secretaries and improving administrative efficiency. The monthly meetings are expected to provide a regular mechanism for reviewing pending files and tracking decisions that require coordination between departments.
Satheesan asked departments to make better use of artificial intelligence in resolving public grievances through Janasparsham file adalat, an initiative aimed at providing faster and more effective solutions to complaints. The directions include exploring how AI tools can support the functioning of the grievance-resolution process.
The chief minister also asked departments to take maximum advantage of schemes launched by the Centre and to regularly assess the progress of existing schemes. Departments have been directed to identify ways to improve the utilisation of these schemes and prevent unnecessary delays in their implementation in Kerala.
The review of flagship programmes was another focus of the meeting. Satheesan instructed department secretaries to expedite the implementation of these programmes and monitor their progress regularly. The meeting stressed closer oversight to ensure that the programmes are executed within the required timeframe.
The directions also cover legal issues connected with government files. Satheesan asked departments to give special attention to such matters and ensure that legal complications are addressed in a time-bound manner, so they do not hold up file processing or delay the implementation of government decisions.
The monthly meetings will therefore bring together file management, programme monitoring, central scheme implementation and grievance resolution within a recurring administrative review process. The government’s next step is to organise the meetings and identify measures for streamlining departmental files and improving the handling of public complaints through Janasparsham.
