Rampant Corruption and Inertia Demand Digital Overhaul of Indian Government Systems

Rampant Corruption and Inertia Demand Digital Overhaul of Indian Government Systems

RMN News Story Highlights

• Current government systems and online complaint platforms are described as utterly useless and contributing to rampant corruption in India.

• There is a strong recommendation for fully computerized complaints monitoring departments to eliminate the need for physical interactions and allow citizens to track cases remotely.

• Many government personnel reportedly lack the digital skills and willingness to use technology for citizen services.

• Existing government claims about resolving large numbers of grievances on systems like CPGRAMS are called an “utter falsehood” and “fraud”.

By Rakesh Raman
New Delhi | May 27, 2025

Observations drawn from the current administrative landscape underscore an urgent need for a fundamental overhaul of government systems in India. A radical transformation is being advocated, leveraging advanced digital technologies to effectively combat pervasive corruption and tackle the entrenched issues hindering the resolution of public grievances.

The existing administrative framework is described as ineffective, with current online complaint systems characterized as “utterly useless”. Furthermore, many government personnel reportedly lack the requisite skills and willingness to embrace modern digital tools.

A significant recommendation put forth is the establishment of dedicated complaints monitoring departments within State governments that are to be “fully computerized”. This aims to eliminate the necessity for citizens to engage in physical interactions with officials who may “harass them during physical interactions in order to extort bribes from them”.

These proposed departments should incorporate an online interface or “help desk”, enabling complainants to remotely track the progression of their cases using computers or mobile devices. It is also emphasized that authorities must take “immediate action” should a case become stalled. Government personnel who are unable to effectively utilize digital systems should not be permitted to require members of the public to come to their offices. Some suggestions go further, proposing that the services of such “naive officials” who cannot keep pace with the modern digital world should be terminated.

[ Also Read: The Integrity Bulletin on Corruption Cases ]

The imperative for digital solutions is reinforced by the observation that physical meetings in government offices are not only inconvenient but also exacerbate corruption. It is estimated that a substantial portion of road traffic, nearly one-third, is generated by individuals traveling to meet government officials, a necessity that could potentially be circumvented through the use of digital communication channels such as video conferencing.

However, many bureaucrats and politicians are perceived as uneducated or lacking the necessary domain expertise in utilizing IT-based systems like emails, social media, and video conferencing for delivering citizen services. They are also described as lacking the communication skills needed to respond via traditional or digital channels.

Instead, accounts suggest they “shamelessly call common people – including women and senior citizens – to their offices to hear their complaints which are hardly resolved”. Some government personnel are described as operating like “viceroys of the British colonial era,” reportedly deriving “sadistic pleasure when people stand outside their offices and bow in front of them”. These forced meetings in offices are cited as contributing to already “rampant corruption”.

Despite the clear need for change, resistance to the adoption of digital systems is anticipated. Current online systems, such as the Centralized Public Grievance Redress And Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) of the Government of India and the Delhi Government’s Public Grievance Monitoring System (PGMS) and the LG Listening Post service, face heavy criticism.

Information from various research reports indicates that government claims of resolving nearly 60 lakh public grievances on systems like CPGRAMS between 2022 and 2024 are an “utter falsehood,” as the government is said to have addressed “not even a fraction of the complaints that it received”.

The same pattern described as “fraud” is reportedly occurring on the other online complaint filing and monitoring systems of the government, with a perceived lack of accountability for the “dereliction of duty” by government personnel. The systems specifically mentioned for Delhi are described as “crude” and allegedly managed by “unqualified and mostly corrupt employees” who reportedly close cases without providing relief to complainants and fail to give proper responses. After arbitrarily closing unresolved cases, the individuals involved are claimed to show them as resolved in their records, and the government is said to “shamelessly claims that the case is resolved”.

To counteract these identified failures, there is a call for the development of dynamic digital interfaces. Through these interfaces, complainants would be able to monitor the “movement of their complaints (along with official remarks) at every stage of their case”. Such interfaces are seen as a way to boost transparency and reveal the performance of government officials for providing online citizen services. The existing administrative systems intended to ensure a corruption-free environment are deemed “totally dead”, highlighting the necessity to create a “new system of governance to check corruption”, a transition described as needed “the sooner the better”.

The difficulties encountered by commoners have been noted by the eCommittee of the Supreme Court of India and the Department of Justice (DoJ) of the Government of India. The eCourts Mission Mode Project – which is a national eGovernance initiative for enabling technology in courts – encourages the use of digital technology, including video conferencing, for resolving different cases.

Ultimately, when citizen grievances, including corruption complaints, are not adequately addressed, individuals are often left with no alternative but to seek recourse in the courts. However, the courts are reportedly “buried under millions of cases that are pending,” and many citizens do not get justice there. This perceived collapse in administration and the accounts of courts giving “haphazard judgments” are cited as contributing to rapidly increasing “lawlessness” in India.

By Rakesh Raman, who is a national award-winning journalist and social activist. He is the founder of a humanitarian organization RMN Foundation which is working in diverse areas to help the disadvantaged and distressed people in the society.