Now, CM's office too under Sakaala

Expanding the ambit of Sakaala, Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda on Wednesday announced that his own office and gram panchayats will also come under the State government’s flagship scheme.

After inaugurating the ‘Kandaya Bhavan’, built at a cost of Rs 35 crore, Gowda said the move will ensure timely processing of files in his own office.

He added that there was an urgent need for such a single-window clearance system for all procedures to ensure that citizens are not forced to run from pillar to post.

“Sakaala will help in maintaining transparency and efficiency in all government procedures,” he said. To ensure that Sakaala functions as per its mandate, Gowda said a fine of Rs 20 would be levied per day on officers who fail to clear the file within the time limit.

More than 10 lakh people from across the State have filed applications under the scheme and the programme has earned a lot of appreciation from government officials, he said and added that apart from the existing 151 services, the government will soon add another 40 services to the list.

The government will also initiate an SMS update system to keep the applicants informed.