Get government services within stipulated time

BANGALORE: The Assembly on Wednesday created history as it unanimously passed the Karnataka Public Services Guarantee Bill, which requires officials to provide services to people within a specified time. Except expressing apprehension about the way the Act is going to be implemented, members cutting across party lines welcomed the Bill and complimented Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister S Suresh Kumar for initiating the move. “Credit should go to Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda,” the Law Minister said. Once the Bill becomes an Act, it will be mandatory for government servants to provide 152 services in 11 departments, including certificates for residential, birth and death, income, caste, registration of khatas and properties, FIRs, annual inspection reports, building licences, drug store licences and medical certificates. Agreeing with Opposition members that there was scope for including more services, Suresh Kumar said, “Most of the services availed by the common man have been included. Once the Act comes into force, we can include more services.”Suresh Kumar agreed to suggestions from Opposition leader Siddaramaiah that a check-list must be made available to people before they apply for a service without which officials can reject the application at the fag end of the stipulated time. “We will keep this in mind while framing rules,” Kumar said. Deputy Speaker of the Assembly Yogish Bhat said the Bill would get defeated if departments do not adopt e-governance. “We are in touch with the departments to provide e-governance from the grass-roots level,” Suresh Kumar said and added, “I have discussed it with Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi, who was behind such an Act in his state. My aim is to make it the best.”