BELAGAVI: Stating that governance must remain people-centric, Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Thursday directed government officials to stay at their headquarters and respond promptly to public grievances.
Addressing the Belagavi divisional progress review meeting at Suvarna Vidhana Soudha on Thursday, the CM said people should not have to search for the government, asserting that the government must be with the people.
He instructed Deputy Commissioners and Chief Executive Officers of Zilla Panchayats to closely monitor the attendance and movement registers of officials to ensure accountability. Expressing concern over citizens being forced to make repeated visits to government offices, the CM said such practices must end. “Officials must function with dignity and sensitivity while serving the people,” he said.
To strengthen citizen-centric governance, Shivakumar announced the establishment of a new Praja Seva Department, for which a dedicated minister would be appointed.
The CM directed district in-charge ministers to conduct two-day public grievance meetings through the new department in selected taluks on the first and third Saturdays of every month.
A standardised framework for receiving and disposing of public petitions would be introduced to ensure grievances are resolved within the legal framework, he added.
Highlighting his government’s focus on rural development, Shivakumar said migration to urban areas for quality education and employment remains a major challenge. To address this, the government plans to utilise Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds to build nearly 2,000 modern government schools across the state, he said.
“Around Rs 8,000 crore will be mobilised under the CSR initiative, with each cluster of three gram panchayats getting a school at an estimated cost of Rs 10-15 crore,” he said, adding that leading educational institutions in every district would be encouraged to adopt three government schools to improve infrastructure and learning standards.
On the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Shivakumar asserted that every eligible citizen must be guaranteed the right to vote. He instructed Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to carry out door-to-door distribution of enumeration forms strictly as per rules without yielding to pressure from any political party or elected representative.
He noted that facilities had also been provided to download caste and residence certificates required for voter registration and urged citizens to complete the necessary formalities so that no eligible voter is deprived of franchise.
The CM also unveiled a series of initiatives aimed at empowering youth and boosting rural development. He announced plans to establish 10,000 Bharat Jodo Youth Associations across Karnataka with an allocation of Rs 1,000 crore, providing financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh to each panchayat-level youth association.
He further said the government intends to provide 5,000 to 10,000 residential sites for the poor in every Assembly constituency and is preparing a roadmap to establish industrial parks in every taluk to generate local employment and reduce migration.
