CAG picks holes in public services Act working

Ishfaq Tantry

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Tribune News Service

Srinagar, July 7

Pointing out inadequacies in implementation of the much-hyped Jammu and Kashmir Public Services Guarantee Act, 2011, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has urged the government to consider initiatives for avoiding delay in delivery of services provided by government departments under the Act.

In his report, the CAG has highlighted the need for putting in place a system of issuing acknowledgements to applicants seeking services under the Act and installation of notice boards on the office premises of the departments concerned.

The Jammu and Kashmir Public Services Guarantee Act, 2011, came into force with effect from August 10, 2011. The Act provides for delivery of public services to people within the specified time limit and relate to matters connected therewith and incidental thereto.

For carrying out provisions, the government had notified the Jammu and Kashmir Public Services Guarantee Rules, 2011, in July 2011.

Subsequently, between July 2011 and September 2013, the government had notified a total of 80 public services spread across 13 government departments and designated officers or appellate authorities, besides specified time limit for providing such services to eligible persons.

However, during the review of related records of 40 offices of six government departments in five districts of Jammu and Kashmir for the period from August 2011 to December 2014, where 18 notified services provided by 131 designated officers were test-checked between February and June 2015, the CAG audit found several discrepancies and shortcomings as far as implementation of the Act was concerned.

“A total of 82 of the 131 test-checked designated officers had not maintained a prescribed register to keep a record of applications received from individuals for delivery of public services as required under the Jammu and Kashmir Public Services Guarantee Rules, 2011,” the CAG observed in his latest report for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015.

The government might consider maintenance of a prescribed register to keep record of applications received from individuals for delivery of pubilc services, the report emphasised, adding that the audit found that the system of issuing acknowledgements to applicants was not in place at 116 designated offices.

“A notice board was not installed on the premises of 109 designated offices,” the report said, adding that there was a delay in delivery of services provided by government departments.

“Of the 1.7 lakh test-checked cases, delay in providing services in six departments ranged between one day and 1,146 days. There was lack of awareness among the general public about provisions of the Act,” the report observed.

It urged the government to consider initiatives for avoiding delay in delivery of services provided by government departments and take measures for spreading awareness among the public about provisions of the Act.