Shimla: Himachal Pradesh is the first State to pioneer the District Good Governance Index for measuring governance performance on seven themes, eighteen focus subjects and forty five indicators as a self-evaluation mechanism.
All the major services are being provided online so that people from remote areas need not travel long distances to state or district headquarters for availing facilities and redressal of grievances.
State Government is implementing the HP Public Service Guarantee Act 2011. Under this Act, the Government is bound to provide 187 time bound services. This act also guarantees the delivery of services within stipulated time period and also has provision of laws for punishing the errant public servant who is deficient in providing the service stipulated under the statute. These initiatives are comprehensive and ready for officers & citizens. It will help in increasing awareness about various entitlements of the citizens.
State Government is delivering these 187 times bound services to citizens through 26 departments. The departments covered under the Act for assured time bound services include Health, Forests, Panchayati Raj, Revenue, Industries, Irrigation and Public Health Department, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Social Justice and Empowerment Department, Home (Fire Services), MPP and Power, Urban Development, Town and Country Planning, Housing, Transport, Home and Health and many more so that major services could be covered.
To deliver these services, 12,582 authorities have been designated and are monitored by 56 nodal officers at State and District levels. This act is available for the delivery of services to the people of Himachal Pradesh within stipulated time limit.
A provision of penalty up to five thousand rupees has been made in the Act for the officer responsible who failed to provide service or has caused delay in providing such service without sufficient and reasonable cause. This will improve the standards of governance and will provide society a strong foundation for good governance.
Few of the services benefiting the people under this Act include grazing permit within 24 hours, mortgage permission within two weeks, action on online police complaints within 24 hours, birth, death and marriage registration within two days, BPL certificate within 24 hours, water connection within 30 days, identity card to senior citizens within three days, soil testing (Sample) within 60 days, water connection (domestic/commercial) within one month, Identity Cards to persons with disabilities within three days etc. Government has launched e-Registration portal to save people from tedious process of registration, standing in queues and paper forms to sign up. The detailed information regarding these services is available on the website of Administrative Reforms.
Government has also introduced C.M Dashboard. Through this, the information regarding progress of various developmental schemes can be monitored effectively by Chief Minister himself at a glance. Various statistics of different departments are published on Dashboard, which provides 24/7 insight of all departmental activities.
This Act will further strengthen the efforts of the State Government in accelerating the pace of development by providing speedy services to the public.
