Get government services on time, or get paid

BANGALORE:  Next time you go to government offices for your driving licence, khata certificate or any other service, you need not bribe the officials to get your work done. For, the state government has decided to empower its citizens with the Right to Government Services.The state Cabinet, which met here on Friday, gave its approval to the Karnataka Guarantee of Services To Citizens Bill 2011, which will come into effect through an ordinance. Now, Karnataka will join Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir, which have successfully implemented the ‘Citizen Charter’.As per the Bill, citizens will not only get the right to government services, but will also get paid on a daily basis by the government for the delay caused in delivering services. To start with, the state government has enlisted 90 services drawn from various departments under the purview of the Bill and fixed a time frame for the delivery of every service. Failing which, the applicant will get `20 per day after the expiry of the schedule from the official concerned. In the case of delay or rejection of application, the officer concerned has to explain his action in writing. In every office, the government will appoint ‘designated officers’ who will be responsible for service delivery. The Bill also proposes stringent action against erring officials. Departmental disciplinary action will be initiated against those who err 25 times in a year and those who promptly deliver services will be awarded with yearly incentives.“The objective of this Bill is to sensitise public servants towards the rights of the citizens for government services. It would not only weed out corruption in government offices at the delivery point, but also bring dignity to government services,” Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sureshkumar said after the meeting. He said the government was mulling to bring more services under the purview of the Bill and the CM was authorised to do so.