Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi
Udupi, Sep 9: Food, civil supplies and consumer affairs minister and Udupi district in-charge minister Rizwan Arshad said the government’s Praja Seva Andolana meetings are aimed at listening to people’s grievances at their doorsteps and providing solutions without making them run from one government office to another.
He was speaking after inaugurating the Udupi taluk-level Praja Seva Andolana meeting held at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Auditorium in the deputy commissioner’s office complex at Rajathadri, Manipal, on Wednesday.
Rizwan Arshad said the government exists to serve the people and that citizens should not have to wait for weeks or months to access government services. Under the initiative, meetings will be held at the taluk level on the first and third Saturdays and at the hobli level on the second and fourth Saturdays, in the presence of the officials concerned.
He said district in-charge ministers would participate in the meetings and ensure that grievances are addressed at the earliest. Deputy commissioners would also follow up on applications every Wednesday in the presence of senior officials. Every application would be examined seriously and forwarded to the concerned department, with the status and action taken communicated to the applicant, he added.
Explaining why the Udupi meeting was held on Wednesday, the minister said the statewide launch was held on September 5 in Vijayanagara under the leadership of chief minister D K Shivakumar. However, as September 5 coincided with the Krishna Janmashtami and Vitla Pindi celebrations in Udupi, the meeting was postponed in the district to facilitate public participation.
As many as 208 applications relating to issues including land phodi and records, allocation of government land, access pathways to agricultural land, houses and sites, drainage facilities, lake development, Gruha Jyothi and other matters were submitted during the meeting. The minister heard the grievances and directed officials to take prompt action.
He also said a special cabinet meeting would be held in Mangaluru on September 18 with the objective of promoting the overall development of the coastal region, including tourism, business and employment opportunities.
Udupi MLA Yashpal Suvarna said the Praja Seva Andolana would help make officials more accountable and remind them of their duties and responsibilities. He urged the government to ensure that the programme becomes an effective platform for resolving public grievances.
Deputy commissioner Swaroopa T K, in her introductory remarks, said Udupi district was hosting its first Praja Seva Andolana meeting and that the initiative seeks to take government schemes to every village and household. She urged the public to make maximum use of the platform to resolve grievances within a stipulated time and ensure effective implementation of guarantee schemes.
Coastal Development Board chairman M A Gafoor, Sri Narayana Guru Development Corporation chairman Manjunath Poojary, Udupi Urban Development Authority chairman Dinakar Herur, Udupi District Guarantee Schemes Implementation Committee chairman Ashok Kumar Kodavoor, Zilla Panchayat CEO Prateek Bayal, superintendent of police Hariram Shankar, DFO Ruthen and senior district- and taluk-level officials were present.
Various government departments also set up information stalls at the venue, offering details about rural development schemes, social welfare programmes, loans through development corporations, agriculture, horticulture, AYUSH, animal husbandry, labour, fisheries, women and child development, and other schemes. A Sanjeevini products stall was also set up by the National Rural Livelihood Mission.
The health department conducted a health check-up camp for the public as part of the programme.
Additional deputy commissioner Abid Gadyal welcomed the gathering, while Roshan Kumar Shetty compered the programme.