'Right to services' from tomorrow

Beginning Thursday, citizens who need more information regarding the State government’s Right to Services initiative, which will hold public servants accountable for delay in providing government services, can call the helpline number 080-44554455.

Speaking to reporters after chairing an inter-department secretaries’ meeting in Bangalore, Additional Chief Secretary K Jairaj said the call centre will be operational from March 1.The Karnataka Guarantee Of Services to Citizens’ Act, 2011, passed by the State legislature in December last, seeks to provide time-bound delivery of 151 services spread across 11 departments. 

The pilot project is scheduled to be launched on March 1 in four  taluks - Aurad taluk in Bidar district, Puttur in Dakshina Kannada district, Dharwad in Dharwad district and Chitradurga in Chitradurga district. In Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike limits, the project will be launched at the Jayanagar revenue office. 

Based on the feedback, the scheme will be extended to the entire State in April second week, Jairaj said.

A success in BiharPointing out that the scheme had been a success in Bihar, Jairaj said of the 75 lakh applications received under the scheme in the last one year in Bihar, delays had been reported in only 200 instances.

The Act provides for payment of compensation at the rate of Rs 20 per day by the designated officer or his subordinate public servant who fails to deliver citizen-related services in the stipulated time to the applicant.

Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms Secretary Shalini Rajaneesh said citizens can send their responses and feedback on the scheme to [e-mail].

The services specified under the Act include certificates for birth and death, income, caste, registration of khatas and properties, issue of learning and driving licences, permission for new water connections, providing photocopies of answer scripts of II PU exams, retotalling and revaluation of II PU and SSLC answer scripts, issue of senior citizens identity card, among others.