State: Social Media for Common Voices

Intro: Maharashtra Government has recently launched ‘AAPLE SARKAR’—An interactive web portal and mobile app for directly connecting with the common people of the State.

This is the one-stop platform for citizens of Maharashtra to seek redressal of their grievances. The grievances can be filed under appropriate departments of the Government. Once grievance has been submitted, a tracking number will be generated. Citizens can track the status of the grievance with the help of the tracking number. The grievance will be addressed by the competent authority within a period of 21 working days. This platform also provides the online facility to fill the application under RTI Act. One of the important facilities of this platform is providing the communication channel for the common people with the government. So as they can participate, and suggest the ideas for good governance.
Recently, State Government presented draft bill of Maharashtra Guarantee of Public Services Bill, 2015. Many times common people irritated because of lengthy and hectic public services.
The amendments in the proposed bill will make effective process of public services. Such as:

• Every eligible person shall have right to obtain notified services in the State in accordance with this Act, subject to technical and financial feasibility within the stipulated time limit.
• Subject to technical and financial feasibility, every Designated Officer of the Public Authority shall provide the notified services specified in the notification to the eligible person, within the stipulated time.
• The Public Authority shall, display or cause to be displayed on the notice board of the office, the list of the notified services offered by it along with the details of the Designated Officer, First Appellate Authorities and Second Appellate Authorities.
• The Designated Officer, on receipt of an application under sub-section (1) shall within the stipulated time limit either directly provide or sanction the service or reject the application and in case of rejection of the application, shall record the reasons in writing.
• Every eligible person having applied for any notified services shall be provided a unique application number by the concerned Public Authority so that he can monitor status of his application online, where such system is in operation, in accordance with such procedure as may be prescribed.
• Every Public Authority shall maintain status of all applications regarding notified services online, where such system is in operation, and shall be duty bound to update the status of the same as per the procedure prescribed under the rules.
• The Government shall encourage and aspire all the Public Authorities to utilise Information Technology to deliver their respective notified services within the stipulated time.
• Where the First Appellate Authority is of the opinion that the Designated Officer has failed to provide notified service without sufficient and reasonable cause, then he shall impose a penalty subject to such maximum amount as may be specified by the State Government from time to time by notification in the Official Gazette.
• A penalty on First Appellate Authority which shall be subject to such maximum amount as may be specified by the State Government from time to time, by notification in the Official Gazette Provided that, the Second Appellate Authority shall be given a reasonable opportunity of being heard before any fine or penalty is imposed on him.
• The Appellate Authority, in case of habitual default by the Designated Officer, shall inform the State Government which shall issue a notice against the Designated Officer found responsible for the repeated delays in delivery of notified services. The aim of the government is the Developing culture to deliver services within stipulated time.
• To encourage and enhance the efficiency of the Designated Officer, it shall be lawful for the head of the Public Authority to recommend cash incentive of such amount as may be notified by the Government in favour of a Designated Officer against whom no default is reported in a year and officers who are delivering services before the stipulated time limit.

To avoid lengthy procedures and provide the transparency, accountability among public services, State Government proposed this bill. This will going to be one of the most important bills of good governance for the common people.
                                               —Prasad S Joshi from Mumbai