BENGALURU: Have you applied for any certificate or document from government offices in Karnataka under the Sakala scheme of late ? If yes, make sure it has a Guarantee Services of Citizen (GSC) number, failing which it will be considered invalid. GSC numbers are now mandatory on each certificate issued at Sakala counters. This is to eliminate the involvement of middlemen in the Sakala mission.Under the Karnataka Sakala Services Act, citizen-related services have to be delivered within a stipulated time. This began in March 2012 with 151 services from 11 departments. As of now, Sakala covers 852 services from 73 departments. The services include producing FIR copy, birth and death certificates, tax clearance certificates, re-totalling of marks in examinations, caste certificates, driving licenses, senior citizen cards, khata transfers, house plan documents and income certificates among others.
Sakala Mission administrator K Mathai said he had submitted various reports on irregularities at Sakala to the Chief Secretary. He had mentioned about middlemen and corruption at various government offices.
Mathai said, “Though there is a stipulated time for each service, the middlemen at Sakala counters would assure citizens the services in much lesser time by collecting bribes. People would go to these middlemen to get the services at the earliest. This is why we did not get many applications.”
“At some places, there were no Sakala counters. The middlemen would take money and issue certificates. I had brought this to the Chief Secretary’s notice.” Based on his report, a meeting was conducted in January where they decided to make GSC numbers mandatory on each of the certificate issued at Sakala counters. A government order was also issued. The certificates or documents issued without a GSC number will be invalid. Action will also be taken against the official concerned if the certificate is issued without the GSC number.
No one serious on installing information boards
According to the Sakala Act, information boards about the respective services had to be displayed at all the 20,000 government offices. According to a senior official from CM’s office, the state government allots close to Rs 3 crore for installing information boards. “When government allotted Rs 3 crore in 2016-17, they did not install the information board. As it was not utilised before March 2017, money went back to the government. This year (2017-18) again, Rs 3 crore was allotted. But with just a few days left in this financial year, money is likely to remain unused again,’’ said the official. “If the authorities put information board, they will be answerable to public. Hence, they are least bothered about its installment.”