By A Staff Reporter, Kathmandu, Aug. 7: The Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers is preparing to upgrade the Hello Sarkar platform into an integrated citizen grievance and service management system to make the handling of public complaints faster, more efficient, transparent and effective.
Krishna Sapkota, Under-Secretary at the Hello Sarkar Section, said a detailed concept paper and implementation plan have been prepared and submitted for discussion.
“The proposal aims to upgrade Hello Sarkar into a unified platform that will manage complaints received through multiple channels, including telephone, the website, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and email,” Sapkota said.
Under the proposed system, citizens will be able to lodge complaints directly with the relevant government office through the Hello Sarkar platform and track the progress of action taken.
“If they prefer not to submit complaints directly to the concerned office, the system will automatically forward them to the appropriate authority.”
The proposed platform will also allow authorities to monitor progress and provide updates to service recipients through a single integrated system.
According to Sapkota, the government also plans to interconnect government call centres.
Under the proposal, complaints received through the toll-free number 1111 will be automatically transferred to the call centre of the relevant ministry or government agency based on the nature of the complaint.
“If the concerned agency fails to provide the required service, the call will automatically be redirected to Hello Sarkar for further grievance handling,” he said. “This is expected to end the need for citizens to repeatedly approach different government offices regarding the same issue.”
The upgraded system will also maintain records of previous complaints lodged by individual service recipients and display their current status. Repeated complaints on the same issue submitted by the same individual will be consolidated and managed as a single case.
Sapkota said the government has recently prepared the Citizen Grievance and Integrated Service Management Directive, which proposes integrating grievance management systems across the federal, provincial and local levels.
The directive also proposes fixed timelines for resolving complaints. Emergency complaints should be addressed within 24 hours, highly urgent cases within three days, urgent complaints within seven days and ordinary complaints within 15 days.
Under the proposed mechanism, complainants will receive notifications through the system once their grievances have been resolved. Cases will only be closed after the complainant confirms whether the issue has actually been resolved, ensuring feedback is incorporated into the process.
According to Hello Sarkar, once these reforms are implemented, the platform will no longer function merely as a complaint registration centre.
Instead, it is expected to play a broader role in all stages of grievance management, provide the government with a realistic picture of national issues, support evidence-based policymaking through public feedback and contribute to good governance and administrative reform.
Complaints increase by 321% in a year
Hello Sarkar recorded a 321 per cent increase in public complaints during the fiscal year 2025/26 compared to the previous fiscal year.
According to official data, the platform received 69,724 complaints in FY 2025/26, up from 16,568 complaints in FY 2024/25, an increase of 53,156 complaints in a single year.
Sapkota said the sharp rise in complaints following the formation of the current government reflects growing public trust and confidence in the grievance-handling mechanism. He said the increase also indicates that citizens have higher expectations from the government.
Over the past five fiscal years, Hello Sarkar has registered a total of 124,581 complaints. Of these, 69,724 were received in FY 2025/26 alone, accounting for around 56 per cent of all complaints lodged during the five-year period.
Between FY 2021/22 and FY 2024/25, the platform received a combined total of 54,857 complaints, fewer than the number received in the last fiscal year alone.
More than 50,000 complaints in three months
Hello Sarkar has received more than 50,000 complaints over the past three months.
According to the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, 50,721 complaints were registered during the period, of which 39,177 have been resolved.
Sapkota said that of the complaints received during the three-month period, 18,542 have been formally closed, while 547 remain unopened.
In addition, 1,642 complaints have been reviewed, 1,327 are in process, 6,056 have been assigned but not yet reviewed, and 2,446 have been categorised as incomplete, irrelevant or unassigned.
The office also reported receiving 50,196 calls through the Hello Sarkar toll-free service during the same period, of which 40,016 were addressed.
In the current fiscal year, from July 17 to August 3 alone, Hello Sarkar received 9,610 complaints, of which 6,601 have already been resolved.
The office noted that these figures do not include complaints received through social media platforms, Viber, WhatsApp, email and other digital channels.
The Rising Nepal
