Daijiworld Media Network – Kudligi

Kudligi (Vijayanagara dist), Sep 5: No more repeated trips to government offices for routine services and grievances. The Karnataka government has rolled out its ‘Praja Seva Department’ and ‘Praja Seva Abhiyan’, an initiative designed to take grievance redressal directly to citizens and ensure their problems are addressed within a stipulated timeframe.

Chief minister D K Shivakumar launched the ‘Praja Seva Abhiyan’ in Kudligi town of Vijayanagara district today.

Speaking at the launch, Shivakumar said the government was putting in place a system under which officials would go directly to people’s doorsteps to listen to their problems.

“Even if every problem cannot be resolved immediately, this will provide a better opportunity to understand people’s concerns directly and work towards finding solutions,” he said.

What is ‘Praja Seva’?

Praja Seva is a new government mechanism aimed at ending the need for ordinary citizens to make repeated visits to government offices for routine services, pensions, Pahani (RTC), ration cards and other departmental matters.

Under the initiative, grievances will be heard closer to people’s homes and efforts will be made to resolve them within a fixed timeframe.

What are the key objectives?

The initiative is aimed at ensuring faster resolution of public grievances by saving citizens from running from one government office to another. It also seeks to bring greater transparency to administration by making authorities accountable for responding to public complaints. Another key objective is to provide direct access to elected representatives and senior officials, who will meet people and hear their grievances in person.

How will the system operate?

The government has laid down a fixed schedule for grievance meetings. On the first and third Saturdays, district in-charge ministers will mandatorily hold meetings at the taluk level and receive public grievances. The system will later be extended to the hobli level.

On the second and fourth Saturdays, MLAs and officials will conduct meetings at the gram panchayat level to hear people’s complaints.

What role will technology play?

The scheme incorporates advance communication as well as online tracking. Application forms will be delivered to households 15 days before each meeting, giving citizens time to prepare their requests and supporting documents. An AI-powered call centre and helpline – 1902 – will provide information and assistance to citizens. Applicants will also be able to monitor the real-time status of their applications online.

How can citizens apply?

Citizens can fill in the application form delivered to their homes 15 days before the Praja Seva meeting, attach copies of the necessary documents and submit it to officials in advance or directly at the meeting.

Those seeking government services or wishing to register a grievance through the Praja Seva Abhiyan or its departments must submit the required supporting documents along with their application.

Documents to keep ready

• Identity and address proof (mandatory): Aadhaar card, voter ID/ration card and mobile number.
• Land/property-related grievances: For account, Pahani/RTC or land-related issues, applicants should provide the relevant RTC (Record of Rights, Tenancy and Crops), property registration document/sale deed and family tree.
• Social security and pensions: Income and caste certificates; a medical certificate for persons with disabilities; documents related to widow or senior citizen pensions; and a copy of the bank passbook.
• Ration card correction/new card: Aadhaar cards of all family members and children’s birth certificates where a new name is to be added.
• Other infrastructure and departmental complaints: For revenue, electricity, drinking water and drainage issues, applicants should provide relevant old receipts or submit a written application along with photographs, where applicable.

Applications will be reviewed every Wednesday at the taluk and district levels. If a grievance is not resolved within the prescribed timeframe, the application will be automatically escalated to senior officials.

With Praja Seva, the Karnataka government aims to bring administration closer to citizens, reduce the burden of repeated visits to government offices and establish a more transparent, accountable and time-bound system for resolving public grievances.