Centre urged to enact Right to Service Act

Lok Satta welcomes KCR’s decision

Hanamkonda: Lok Satta Udyama Samstha has welcomed Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao’s reported decision to bring out a Right to Service Act towards time-bound delivery of services at government offices.

Lok Satta State adviser Parcha Kodandarama Rao speaking to press persons in Hanamkonda on Friday has thanked the CM for his initiative and said it would go a long way in ensuring transparency in government offices and preventing corruption.

He said Jayaprakash Narayan has been advocating Citizen Charter for a long time. Following a request from a parliament committee, Lok Satta has drafted a model bill in 2011-12.

The same was submitted to the State government when the CM expressed desire to bring out Right to Service Act in 2016.

It was a positive development that the CM was keen in bring out the act and decided to engage services of NALSAR Law University to draft the bill.

Before bringing out the act, the government should hold consultations with all people’s organisations, Kodandarama Rao suggested.

Ensuring time bound delivery of services would not suffice, employees concerned should be made responsible for delay in redressing grievances or delivery of services.

A provision to a penalty of Rs 250 per day in case of delay should be incorporated in the act, he added.

Right to Service Act was being implemented in several states like Uttarakhand, Delhi and Karnataka covering utility services like municipal, electricity, health, education, and others. A draft bill on Right to Service Act at central level was awaiting the parliament approval.

Though it was good, states were coming out with their own Right to Service Act, a central act was a must to benefit the citizens in the country by covering all central government departments, Kodandarama Rao felt. Lok Satta district convener G Jaganmohan Reddy, Vidyarthi Satta convener T Pavan and others present.