Mysuru: The Prajaseva programme has been launched with the objective of taking govt administration and public services directly to people’s doorsteps, and ensuring speedy redressal of their grievances, chief minister DK Shivakumar said, emphasising that through the initiative, more than one lakh applications have already been received..Speaking at the Prajaseva programme at Periyapatna, the CM said the initiative is aimed at ensuring that people, particularly those in rural areas, would not have to make repeated visits to govt offices to access basic services or resolve their problems. “Govt should reach such people and govt services should be easily accessible to them,” he said, adding that ministers, MLAs and officials should regularly visit their respective areas, listen to public grievances and take steps to resolve them.The chief minister said the Prajaseva department, launched on Sept 5, had already conducted programmes at several places and received more than one lakh applications. Most of the petitions were related to the revenue, rural development and panchayat raj, urban development and municipal departments. Issues include land disputes, khata-related problems, police grievances and road-related issues. He said the programme would bring various govt departments together on a common platform, enabling officials to examine applications and provide appropriate solutions. The disposal of applications would be monitored regularly and the officials concerned would be questioned if grievances remained pending, he said.A Legal Aid counter has also been established as part of the initiative to provide free legal assistance to people facing legal complications. Lawyers would guide citizens on issues relating to land, khata and court cases, he said. Referring to pension-related grievances, Shivakumar said several beneficiaries had approached govt after their pensions were stopped when their annual income crossed the earlier prescribed limit. “Govt subsequently raised the income ceiling to Rs 1.2 lakh, benefiting around 12 lakh people,” he claimed.He also said deputy commissioners had been instructed to identify govt land or acquire suitable private land for establishing new settlements and providing housing to people without shelter. The chief minister said govt would continue strengthening Prajaseva at the gram panchayat, taluk and district levels to make administration more accessible, responsive and people-centric.Ministers Yathindra Siddaramaiah, Eshwar Khandre; MLA Venkatesh; MLC K Shivakumar were present.
