Karnataka: The Karnataka government on Thursday announced the formation of the 'Praja Seva Department', a new department aimed at receiving and resolving public grievances. The department will be headed by a minister and supported by a specialised team to ensure complaints reach the appropriate authorities and are addressed without delay.
"We are starting a new department to listen to people's grievances. I am also assigning the responsibility for this department to a minister. We are calling it the Praja Seva Department (Public Service Department)," news agency PTI quoted Chief Minister DK Shivakumar as saying.
Along with this, the state government has also announced the launch of the 'Praja Seva Abhiyana' (PSA), a program under which ministers will hold meetings in their respective districts twice a month to interact with citizens and address their concerns.
Dedicated Team To Receive And Resolve Grievances Under 'Praja Seva Department'
The Praja Seva Department will be headed by an IAS officer, serving as its Secretary, supported by a team of officials to receive and resolve complaints.
Shivakumar stated that every application received will be systematically routed to the appropriate authority, including the concerned minister, the District In-Charge Minister, the Deputy Commissioner of the district, or any other authorised officer.
"We will create a system under this department to ensure they are processed," the Chief Minister added, emphasising the government's commitment to timely resolution.
Praja Seva Abhiyana: Government To The Doorstep
In a major move to bring governance closer to the public, the Karnataka government will launch the 'Praja Seva Abhiyana' (PSA), a statewide public outreach campaign.
Under this initiative, every District In-Charge Minister will visit two Assembly constituencies on the first and third Saturdays of every month to hear grievances and ensure immediate resolution where possible. During these visits, ministers will be accompanied by local MLAs and senior district officials.
To maintain consistency, visits falling on public holidays will be rescheduled to the preceding day.
"All ministers, along with the MLAs of the respective districts and constituencies, will participate. They will go there to respond to people's grievances through this PSA," Shivakumar said.
How The Praja Seva Abhiyan Will Work?
The Chief Minister stated that counters for all government departments will be set up at the venues where the outreach programme is conducted. Officials from all concerned departments in respective districts will be required to be present.
Citizens will be informed of the minister's visit and schedule in advance. Application forms will also be distributed beforehand in the respective taluks, allowing people to fill them out in advance and submit them directly at the department counters or hand them over to ministers and MLAs.
Shivakumar further added, "Instead of people travelling to Bengaluru, waiting here, and submitting their grievances, the government itself should go to their doorstep."
(With Inputs From PTI)