Prime Minister Narendra Modi is closely watching the State of Karnataka for its unique model of public services.
Yes! The Karnataka Government’s Sakala program has reportedly drawn Modi’s attention and is moving him to further pursue the model for nation-wide implementation.
Governed by the Karnataka Sakala Services (Amendment) Act, 2014, the program offers government services of almost all departments at the citizen’s doorstep.
With an aim to bring all departmental services under a single platform, the program is integrated with various service delivery channels and citizen service centers of the Karnataka Government.
The list of services include ration, citizenship & other identity certificates, vehicle registrations, taxation and other government services in almost all government departments.
The program aims to offer government services with its ‘paperless and faceless’ technology initiatives.
According to Suresh Kumar, Karnataka Minister in charge of Sakala, the program has drawn attention from Central Government’s thinktank Niti Ayog and PMO.
“I am happy Niti Aayog has taken note of our work, and collected the information from us. I am told they are thinking on replicating the state’s success at the national level,” says Kumar.
Similar programs are already in place in Madhya Pradesh and Bihar states. “The then chief minister DV Sadananda Gowda backed me to the hilt, and that is how Karnataka introduced Sakala,” adds Kumar.
Launched in 2012, the program has not drawn much popularity initially but improved later.
“The strike rate (in-time disposal) for the month of September 2019 has been 97.18%,” says Kumar, adding that the program is receiving 2000 calls in a day on an average.
The Sakala Mission notifies public with its services and also penalizes the defaulters if an official fails repeatedly to stand up to the mission’s commitment.
In total, the Sakala program covers more than 1,033 services across 90 departments and around 43 government departments and 301 public services under its Seva Sindhu portal. The portal aims to cover 500 services by March 2020.
Karnataka’s ‘Sakala’ Program Video
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