THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Cabinet meeting on Wednesday accepted the recommendation of the Administrative Reforms Commission to take recovery steps against employees who cause loss to the exchequer due to callousness. Such cases will be handed over to the vigilance for follow-up action under the anti-corruption law.
The other recommendations accepted by the government are to encourage social audit of government offices. The audit observations will be published online.
Audit awareness will be created among staffers and training will be given to auditors. An awareness campaign on the complaints redressal system will be conducted among the poor and marginalised sections. A module on complaint redressal will be included in the training programmes organised by the government. The time limit will be fixed for solving or rejecting complaints. Action will be taken against employees denying information.
At least one-third of the staff in the complaint redressal wing should be permanent employees. The wing should have employees with aptitude, experience and commitment to resolving complaints. Officers concerned should appear for the hearing of court cases in which the government is a party. All services of the KSEB will be brought under the purview of the Right to Information Act. People can lodge complaints directly to the Electricity Ombudsman.
All services of local self-governments will be brought under the purview of RTI Act. An electronic system will be launched for real-time audit of government offices. More than one audit cannot be conducted in offices except on sufficient grounds.
Surrendered Maoist to get house under Life Mission
The government will give a new house to Lijesh, a former senior leader of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist). Born at Amarakkuni in Wayanad, Lijesh had surrendered before the police last year. The house is part of the rehabilitation package announced by the government. He is the first Maoist cadre who surrendered after the Surrender and Rehabilitation Scheme announced by the state government in 2018. The new house will be built in Ernakulam under the Life Mission, said an official release issued after the meeting on Wednesday.