DCs for closing 70 pc rural Sewa Kendras

Deepkamal Kaur

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Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, May 23

Following reports that the Sewa Kendra scheme launched by the previous SAD-BJP government was proving a huge financial burden on the exchequer, the process to cut their strength to just 30 per cent in rural areas has begun.

Interacting with Chief Secretary Karan Avtar Singh and Additional Chief Secretary, Governance Reforms, NS Kalsi, via video conferencing, the deputy commissioners of all districts today unanimously proposed that 70 per cent of the existing Sewa Kendras in rural areas (called Type 3 centres) should be shut down as these were not getting the required footfall despite adequate publicity of the scheme in the last seven months.

The Jalandhar administration proposed that 25-30 of the 108 Type 3 Sewa Kendras were sufficient as per existing need. The centres they have proposed to be retained are at block headquarters or villages with high population. Vipul Ujjwal, Nawanshahr DC, too maintained that there was no point in continuing with more than 30 per cent of the existing centres as the remaining were not even getting more than six applications a week.

The DCs also proposed that the manpower in these centres could be moved to Type 2 centres (in urban areas) or Type 1 centres (the original single Suwidha Centre building at the administrative complex of each district), wherever the response is better.

The Chief Secretary also sought a proposal from the DCs on the use of the plush Sewa Kendra buildings equipped with ACs and generators. While some DCs suggested that rural dispensaries could be set up there, others proposed that Food and Civil Supplies offices could be moved into these buildings.

The government had spent Rs 14 to 20 crore in each of the 22 districts for constructing Type 3 centres. The 108 Type 3 Sewa Kendras in Jalandhar were constructed for Rs 17.19 crore.

Nikhil Gupta, CEO, BLS E-Solutions (the firm that runs the scheme), said: “Nothing has been communicated to us so far.”

Raveen Thukral, Media Adviser to CM, said: “Review meetings to assess the viability have been held. A final call is yet to be taken.”