Centre launches mobile app FCI GRS to address grievances of rice millers

Union Food Minister Pralhad Joshi on Monday launched a mobile application of FCI Grievance Redressal System (FCI GRS) for rice millers.

This is one of the measures taken by the government to enhance transparency, accountability and stakeholder satisfaction.

State-owned Food Corporation of India (FCI) is the nodal agency for the procurement and distribution of food grains.

Joshi noted that rice millers are important stakeholders and integral part of the food security system and said the government is "committed to their welfare".

He said the mobile app will help in addressing their grievances.

This mobile application is available for download on the Google Play Store for Android users.

Joshi said the government is also working for farmers' welfare and also ensuring that consumers get food products at reasonable rates.

Aligned with the Digital India initiative, the mobile application aims to improve responsiveness and accountability by providing rice millers with a convenient platform to lodge complaints, monitor their status and receive responses on their mobile devices in an end-to-end digitised manner.

Using this app, millers can easily register their grievances on their mobile through a user-friendly interface, simplifying communication with FCI. They have to register only once and thereafter any number of grievances can be lodged wherein each grievance will have a Unique Grievance ID.

The app offers real-time updates on grievance status, keeping millers informed and ensuring transparency.

Within FCI, once a grievance is received, it will be automatically assigned to concerned Nodal Officers for further action.

The app provides a facility for the Nodal Officer to either get a grievance investigated by the Quick Response Team (QRT) or get feedback from the concerned division.

The application also has a feature of geo-fencing for QRTs. "Where grievance redressal involves a visit to the site by the QRT team, the mobile application will capture the physical visit by the team members through the geo-fencing tool," the statement said.

This initiative underscores the government's dedication to enhance accountability, transparency and stakeholders' satisfaction by providing a robust grievance redressal mechanism. This launch marks another milestone in the commitment of FCI to facilitate procurement operations with improved service standards.