GYF led by Touseef Raina sets up grievance cell in north Kashmir

Baramulla, Feb 13: A young social activist from Baramulla, Touseef Raina established a public grievance office in the town with an aim to “institutionalise” support for citizens who struggle to access government offices and welfare schemes. The office has been set up under the name of has Global Youth Foundation (GYF) which will remain open for public access

Addressing media persons at the office, Touseef Raina said the initiative seeks to bridge the “growing disconnect between the people and the government” particularly in north Kashmir.

“For a long time, we have felt there is a gap between the people and the government. Many genuine issues do not reach the authorities. We want to create a platform where people can come, speak, and be heard,” Raina said. Founded in 2010 during his college days, the Global Youth Foundation earlier organised social programmes and awareness campaigns.

Raina said the organisation is now being revived with a structured grievance cell that will function from morning to evening, with appointed staff to receive complaints, draft applications, and forward cases to the concerned departments. He recounted several incidents that, prompted him to take this initiative.

“I realise there are people who cannot even afford to draft an application or articulate their grievances. There should be a proper set-up where such individuals can come and be heard,” he said. Raina said the office will also facilitate legal assistance for economically weaker sections in genuine cases as well.

“With the support of some lawyer friends, we will try to resolved legal issues of people in a time bound manner. Many poor families cannot afford legal fees and their cases are not pursued with urgency,” he said. Raina said setting up grievance cell was a local initiative for our society. “It is not about political gains, but about providing a social platform,” Raina said.

Raina said that several government welfare schemes fail to reach the intended beneficiaries and often remain limited to “photo shoots.” “We will raise issues related to scholarships for poor students and ensure that government schemes actually reach the ground,” he said.

He said that when the government can increase salaries and provide facilities to legislators, it can also prioritise welfare measures for the underprivileged. “If the present government was not prepared to meet the challenges of governance at the Union Territory level then they should not have contested elections because everybody was aware that we are contesting elections in a UT,” he said. He further said that the grievance cell would function professionally and serve as a bridge between citizens and authorities, ensuring that public concerns are documented and pursued with the administration.