As part of the Karnataka government’s strategy to enhance the direct connect with its citizens, the chief minister of Karnataka has launched a new Praja Seva department which will form an important component of the Congress government’s governance agenda.
The move is a response to the government’s desire to strengthen its emphasis on service delivery and to ensure that the grievances of its citizens get timely redressal through a proper institution.
“We are forming a new department called the Praja Seva Department that will look into all public grievances,” Mr Shivakumar said, making it clear that he wants to strengthen the relationship between the administration and the citizens.
The new department will be established to serve as the central grievance redressal body of the state dealing with issues relating to civic amenities, welfare schemes, revenue concerns and various public services. It will be headed by a special minister, backed by senior bureaucrats and district ministers will hold review meetings with citizens and elected representatives regularly.
This initiative is an expression of Mr Shivakumar’s vision of people-friendly governance as well as an attempt to portray the Congress government as an administration committed to deliver the goods.
Political analysts feel that it is a step to institutionalise accountability and create a process where the citizens could expect action from the government within time-frame on issues of concern to them.
Citizens of Karnataka have been facing problems for many years in regard to the redressal of their issues relating to things like pensions, road construction and repair, power connection, correction in land records and other public services. Though there have been some grievance redressal platforms, the complaints made through these platforms have often faced criticism because of inadequate follow-ups and lack of accountability.
The Praja Seva Department will seek to address this problem through improved monitoring and making sure that no issue remains unresolved until it is sorted out. Government officials informed that technology-enabled dashboards will be used to track the progress of the grievances and monitor the performance of the departments involved in their resolution.
It is an effort that builds upon the existing Integrated Public Grievance Redressal System of Karnataka but gives it more administrative and political teeth.
By putting the grievance redressal in the centre-stage, the government hopes to gain the trust of the citizens and improve its public image through better public service delivery.
It is an important part of the overall governance strategy of the Congress government in view of political events to come. The government is attempting to make its connect with the citizens through improved service delivery and citizen outreach.
Government officials informed that the department would regularly gather feedback from the citizens and monitor the complaint resolution patterns to pinpoint the systemic issues and find a solution.
The aim is to put in place a mechanism that will survive beyond the current administration and help in improving public service delivery in future.
With the launching of the Praja Seva Department, the Shivakumar government has attempted to send out a political signal to its citizens and the world – Governance, accountability and citizen connect will continue to be central to the administration. Guidelines on functioning of the new department will be issued shortly.
