The Kerala Assembly on Thursday passed the Kerala Right to Public Service Bill, which is aimed at ensuring the timely delivery of government services. “The Bill passed by the Assembly strengthens citizens’ right to timely, transparent and accountable service delivery… The Bill also ensures a robust platform for addressing grievances, marking another step in people-centric governance,” Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in a post on social media platform X. Kerala Law Minister P Rajeeve said the Bill was a landmark legislation for the Kerala Assembly. If the public does not get a service sought from an office within a specific period, the Bill has made provisions to levy a fine from the official responsible for that lapse, he said. The Bill also envisages the formation of a commission which will have the authority to take suo motu action against erring officials or recommend action against them. The person appointed to head the commission will be a bureaucrat who has served in the rank of additional secretary in the Union government or an equivalent post in the state. Once the Bill becomes law, all government offices will have to display their services for the public, the maximum number of days required for delivering these services, the designated officer, and the authority to which appeals can be made. Instead of demanding that an applicant bring the required documents, the designated officer should try to find such documents from the departments/offices concerned, as per the Bill. Receipts will be provided for all applications at an office, including ones submitted online. If an application is rejected, the reason should be communicated to the applicant, the Bill stipulates.
