Will address public grievances a la Janata Darshan, says new chief secy

IAS officer K Ratna Prabha, who assumed charge as the chief secretary on Thursday, said she will devise a public grievance system to resolve people's problems, on the lines of the chief minister's 'Janata Darshan'.

"My main priority will be addressing public grievances and strengthening the grievance redress system. That's my favourite subject. It gives me a lot of joy solving people's problems. I will devise a system to solve public grievances and reach out to the public. It will be something like Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's Janata Darshan. If officers follow suit in this endeavour, it will support what he is doing," she told reporters.

She said the grievance redress system will have more of a "human touch". "The human touch is always more effective. Once I take charge, a lot of people will come to visit me. I will also travel and listen to people's grievances," she said. Ratna Prabha's tenure ends in March next year.

Aside from giving impetus to the government's flagship programmes, Prabha said the other priority area would be women's issues - be it women's empowerment, their safety or women entrepreneurship.

Ratna Prabha said she will personally ensure that the government sets up more women's industrial parks across the state. "I will complete it in the next two months," she said.

She said she would hold a discussion with DG&IGP Neelmani Raju to chalk out an action plan to address women's issues.  

Referring to Neelmani's recent appointment as the DG&IGP, Ratna Prabha said, "When two women are on the top, there will definitely be a positive change. We will identify the loopholes and plug them to strengthen the system. I am not saying women officers are better than men, but a woman's perspective will always be different."

Noting that she was never a victim of gender discrimination, Ratna Prabha pointed out that she was the first woman additional chief secretary in the "male-dominated" Industries and Commerce Department.

A large number of friends, family members and relatives who had gathered to witness the charge-taking ceremony, raised the slogan - 'Ratna Prabha zindabad' - much to the surprise of the officialdom which was present there.