The state government intends to have a separate portal for citizens to look up services and other details with respect to the newly introduced Maharashtra Right to Public Services ordinance.
The state government intends to have a separate portal for citizens to look up services and other details with respect to the newly introduced Maharashtra Right to Public Services ordinance.
"We are looking to have a separate portal. People can look through the services that will be covered, forms and details of designated officers and appellate authorities," said Dr PS Meena, additional chief secretary (GAD).
As of now, the state has decided to put in a total of 160 services in the first phase, with the others being brought into the net in subsequent phases. The state government, local bodies and field authorities provide over 500 services. Also being covered under the ordinance are institutions, co-operative societies or any organisation financed by the government — not just 'substantially' financed as in case of RTI Act. Even non-governmental organisations receiving financial assistance from state government will also be covered.
"We will focus on online delivery of services, and where this is not possible, manual delivery will be done. People can go to our SETU centres and citizen service centres and avail these services online," said Meena, adding that the government would fix the fees to be charged by these facilitators.
Services to be covered in the first phase include grant of birth, death, senior citizen and BPL certificates, fire safety NOCs for building construction, new shop licences, hospital registration and renewal, road digging permissions, ration cards, getting grain in the PDS system through biometric verification and caste certificates.
The government had tabled the Maharashtra Right to Public Services Bill, 2015 in the budget session of the state legislature. However, since this bill, which seeks to provide transparent, efficient and timely public services to eligible people to ensure good governance was not approved, and the government promulgated an ordinance this week.
The draft bill provides that designated government officials dragging their feet on providing public services to citizens shall have to shell out a penalty of minimum Rs500, which may extend to Rs5,000.
The public authorities shall, within a period of three months from the date of commencement of this law, and from time to time, notify the public services rendered by them along with designated officers and first and second appellate authorities and the time-limit.
While imposing penalties and disciplinary action on errant officers who fail to deliver public services, it also provides for cash incentives to officers who deliver these services within the stipulated time limit.
The draft law, which provides for the establishment of the State Right to Service Commission on lines of the Information Commission for the RTI Act, also seeks to take action against people who obtain public services by giving false or frivolous information or false documents.
The Devendra Fadnavis-led government had in its first cabinet meeting set up a committee to begin work on the sunshine law to guarantee time-bound delivery of government services to citizens and pull up errant public servants.
The bill will cover government departments and authorities, civic bodies like municipal corporations, zilla parishads, industrial townships, development authorities, institutions, government companies, besides co-operative societies and NGOs as stated above.
The receipt of an application for obtaining public services shall be duly acknowledged and the applicant shall be intimated in writing or through electronic means specifying date and place of receipt of application. A unique application number shall also be provided so that applicants can monitor the status online, where the system is in operation.
The bill says that the government shall encourage all public authorities to utilise Information Technology to deliver public services within the stipulated time.
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