“There is a unanimous opinion among the policymakers to improve the service delivery mechanism like Sakala in the state,” said T.B. Jayachandra, Karnataka Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs.
Speaking at a workshop organised by the Administrative Training Institute, Mysore, and the State government on ‘Delivery of Public Services’, Jayachandra said illiteracy among rural masses lead to the exploitation by middlemen which can be reduced. The passing of the act (Sakala Services Act) has led to services delivery picking up in the last eight months and has paved the way for adding more services to the list.
He further said the delivery of services is to the tune of 98 per cent of the applications received which has also helped in receiving the silver medal for the best e-initiative at the national level. Further participants from other countries like Pakistan have started showing keen interest in the Scheme. He felt that there is a need to add more services to the list.
“Such initiatives will also help in strengthening democracy at the grassroots level and would help in reduction of corruption at various levels,” said Jayachandra.
He appreciated the role of capacity building initiatives of the Administrative Training Institute.
The Sakala Services Act ensures that the citizens are entitled to a certain standard of services and within a specified time. The Act passed in 2011 and the mission mode of its implementation is an improvement over other e- governance measures such as Nemmadi, Janspandana, Janamitra etc., on timely delivery of services.
Amita Prasad, Director General, ATI Mysore, said ,“It is also pertinent to state that 11 other states in the country have also passed the service delivery act but Karnataka state is ahead of other states not only in the number of services but also integrating with e governance.”
“It is nearly two years since the Act came into force and how far the Act is effective and what lessons one could learn in order to improve the delivery of services are the main issues,” she added.
Karnataka is the 10th State in the country to implement the Act but in terms of implementation it has galloped ahead of state like Madhya Pradesh.
Today nearly 447 Services are covered by 42 departments. The Sakala Mission Directorate of the Government of Karnataka with IT support has taken all the care to see that the Act is implemented in all sincerity and citizens are not put to any difficulty.
About 180 participants participated in the workshop. The participants were from 42 departments comprising the Designated Officers, Competent Officers and Appellate officers of the respective departments. Representatives from the states of Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Bihar were invited to share the experiences in their States.
anil.u@thehindu.co.in