With the existing Sakala scheme (2011) failing to curb corruption and deliver services effectively in some of the key departments, the Siddaramaiah government has now proposed to launch Sakala-2. The new draft gives more teeth to Sakala by steeply increasing the fine for delays — from the present ₹20 to ₹250 — and by setting up a commission to implement the scheme.
This will address shortcomings in the existing Act by including a provision for imposing penalty up to ₹50,000 on officials, if they fail to discharge duties/deliver services within a stipulated period.
The existing Sakala Mission has been given only supervisory position without powers to collect penalty. More than 725 services are being provided under the Sakala Act. It does not have any statutory power of implementing the provisions of the Act.
The proposed Bill will be introduced in the January/February session of the State legislature to demonstrate the government’s commitment to curb corruption during the run-up to the Assembly elections campaign.
From salary
The penalty will be recovered from the salary of the official against whom penalty has been imposed “for having failed to discharge his/her duties without any sufficient and reasonable cause,” says the draft Bill, which has made provision for imposing penalty of ₹250 per day for delay in addressing complaints.
The proposed Bill includes mandatory display of citizens’ charters and job charts in all government departments, social audits and weekly public hearings, information and facilitation centres and independent structures at the district and State-levels to hear appeals related to grievance redress processes.
The Bill will create the Karnataka Public Grievance Redress Commission (KPGRC) and the District Grievance Redress Authority (DGRAs). The KPGRC headed by a Chief Commissioner for a five-year term will have jurisdiction over all public authorities, the draft Bill said.
The KPGRC will have powers to impose penalty/award compensation, while deciding an appeal against any officer of the public authority. DGRAs, to be set up by the KPGRC, will have jurisdiction to hear complaints and appeals, give directions, award compensation and impose penalty in relation to all public authorities located within the district. DGRAs have the same powers as are vested in a civil court.
The draft Bill said every public authority should publish, within one month of the commencement of the Act, a citizens’ charter. It should also mention roles and responsibilities of every officer or employee of the public authority.
Display boards
To inform the public, the proposed law would make mandatory display of a job chart mentioning duties/responsibilities of each official. The Head of Department should be responsible for ensuring the preparation and publication of job charts for public servants to ensure effective delivery of services, within time as prescribed in the citizens’ charter.
The government will establish an Information and Facilitation Centre in each taluk and one in every municipal ward/gram panchayat for providing information on the delivery of services and redress of grievances.
The centre will act as a single window agency for receiving complaints and applications related to all government schemes/ programmes/departments.
The staff and the coordinator of the centre would be appointed by the KPGRC through the DGRAs. At least 50% of the staff of the centres should be women, and at least half drawn from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, the draft Bill said.
The government will facilitate the conduct of social audit of all social sector and public service programmes implemented in every rural and urban local bodies, at least once in a year, the draft Bill said.
