Soudha services to come under Sakaala

The number of services under the Sakaala went up to 265 with the inclusion of 114 services on Friday.

Some services at the Secretariat too will come under the flagship scheme of the Karnataka government, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister S Suresh Kumar has said.
Speaking at a function to mark the inclusion of more services under Sakaala here on Friday, Suresh Kumar said success of the scheme has impressed the Union government as well as Bangladesh that they want to emulate the Karnataka model of time- bound service delivery.

"It is a proud occasion for us when Manish Mudgal, Additional Secretary, Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms will help Bangladesh implement Sakaala scheme,” he added.

About the success rate, the minister quipped, “Our strike rate is much higher than (Mahendra Singh) Dhoni and (Virender) Sehwag. Since the launch of the scheme till date we have received as many as 1.25 crore applications, of which 1.22 crore applications have been disposed."

Recalling an incident which compelled him to introduce Sakaala in Karnataka, Suresh Kumar said a man born blind from Chikmagalur came to him complaining that the village accountant demanded a bribe of Rs 2,000 to grant him pension.

“This made me think of services, which could be implemented on a time-bound fashion,” the minister said.

Bangalore South MP Ananth Kumar said Sakaala was unique as it offered a wide range of services, which are not available in any other state.  He demanded the Union government to implement Citizens' Charter at the national level as well as Lokpal Bill.

Deputy Chief Minister R Ashoka said Sakaala would prevent people from knocking the doors of the politicians.

Afghan delegation

Governors from 14 provinces of Afghanistan on Friday attended an informative session on civic administration, including the Sakaala services, on Friday.

The Afghan delegates are in the country as part of a bilateral programme between India and Afghanistan wherein administrators from the Islamic country are imparted training by their Indian counterparts.

The delegation, which is being trained at the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), New Delhi, was sent to Bangalore to learn about the various ‘innovative systems’ put in place by the Government of Karnataka.

Addressing the visiting delegation, Mounish Moudgil, Additional Mission Director, Citizen-Oriented Service, Karnataka, said that the State was striving at putting in place various systems that would enhance the dialogue between the government representatives and the public.

The members of the delegation were introduced to the Karnataka Guarantee of Service to Citizens Act, 2011, and the Sakaala scheme.

Syed Mohammad Rafat, a member of the delegation, sought information on the way the government caters to needs of citizens in tribal areas and the process of recruiting civil servants for such areas.

The Afghans were given a presentation on the kind of infrastructure required to put in place a system that would further citizen-government interaction.

Moudgil suggested that they could go for a technology-driven solution and also have a call centre in Bangalore.