BENGALURU: Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Saturday announced that the Karnataka government will establish a separate Praja Seva Department to strengthen citizen-centric governance, while urging government employees to treat people with empathy and resolve their grievances within the framework of the law.
Addressing a felicitation programme organised by the Karnataka Rajya Sarkari Naukara Sangha (State Government Employees’ Association), Shivakumar said people approach government offices with the same hope that they visit temples. “When citizens come to us with their problems, it is our duty to respond with compassion and find solutions within the legal framework instead of turning them away,” he said.
Under the proposed initiative, all ministers will visit a taluk office on the first and third Saturdays of every month to directly hear public grievances.
Calling government employees the “ambassadors of Karnataka” and the backbone of the administrative machinery, Shivakumar said positions alone do not command respect; integrity and service do. He urged officials to ensure that poor and vulnerable citizens receive timely assistance while remaining within legal provisions.
Responding to the association’s demands, including the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), Shivakumar said the government would examine the committee’s report before discussing the issue with the Cabinet and employee representatives.