Bhubaneswar: Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari on Wednesday launched a WhatsApp-based Revenue Grievance Redressal System through the existing ‘Ama Sathi’ chatbot, aiming to make revenue administration more transparent, accountable and citizen-friendly.
The system allows people to lodge complaints related to revenue services by messaging WhatsApp number 9437292000. Applicants select the relevant category, submit details and supporting documents digitally, and receive automated updates at every stage—receipt, progress, verification, escalation, resolution or rejection.
Citizens can also rate the service and provide feedback after disposal.
Speaking at the launch event at Lok Seva Bhawan, Pujari said the initiative would bring revenue services closer to the public and strengthen trust in the administration. He noted that the department is modernising its processes in line with changing times to make services simpler and more accessible.
Additional Chief Secretary Arabinda Kumar Padhee explained that direct oversight by the minister, departmental secretary and senior officers would promote greater accountability and sensitivity among officials. He added that the system would be refined further based on experience.
A live demonstration at the launch showed citizens from Rayagada, Jharsuguda and Kataka districts submitting grievances via WhatsApp and the subsequent administrative handling.
Under the workflow, general grievances first reach the Tehsildar for examination and action. Where field verification is needed, cases may be sent to the Revenue Inspector; higher-level issues can be escalated to the Sub-Collector, Additional District Magistrate and District Collector. Timelines are prescribed to ensure timely disposal, with digital records maintained for monitoring.
The grievance module covers a wide range of revenue matters, including land and land records, Record of Rights (RoR), mutation, Column 2 corrections, land classification conversion, partition, encroachment, demarcation, OLR Sections 22 and 23, Regulation 2.0, land revenue (Pauti), registration and stamp duty, disaster and relief, certificates and related issues. Plans are under discussion to digitise physical grievances received at offices and integrate them into the same platform.
‘Ama Sathi’ already supports multiple revenue services—such as mutation, land classification conversion, marriage and society registration, various certificates (caste, income, residential and others), and access to land records—via the same number. The new grievance facility adds a structured digital channel so citizens need not visit multiple offices initially. For the department, it creates a clear workflow, defined responsibilities, transparent tracking and feedback-driven improvements, an official release said.
This builds on earlier efforts to expand the chatbot. In February 2026, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi had launched the ‘Ama Sathi’ Unified WhatsApp Bot to deliver revenue services digitally, and subsequent high-level reviews in April directed upgrades for real-time grievance handling, direct alerts to Tehsildars, and monitoring by the minister and Additional Chief Secretary.
Officials have highlighted the platform’s potential to reduce physical visits, cut middlemen and improve responsiveness, especially given WhatsApp’s wide reach in the state.
