‘Government Is Coming to People’: Shivakumar Launches Prajaseva Abhiyana
Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Saturday launched ‘Prajaseva Abhiyana’, a citizen-connect campaign aimed at taking government services and grievance redressal directly to people’s doorsteps.
The campaign was launched from Kudligi hobli in Vijayanagara district and is being implemented through the newly created Prajaseva Department. Officials said the initiative will enable citizens to submit grievances and receive solutions either on the spot or within a stipulated timeframe.
Addressing the gathering, Shivakumar said the success of a government should not be measured by advertisements but by the smiles on people’s faces. He urged government officials to move beyond offices in Vidhana Soudha, districts and taluks and directly engage with citizens.
“I am not the ruler of the state. I should be called a ‘Praja Sevaka’ (servant of the people),” Shivakumar said, stressing that the era of kings had ended and democracy required administration to reach the people.
Under the campaign, district ministers have been instructed to visit all taluks on the first and third Saturdays of every month to hear public grievances. In the second phase, the initiative will be expanded to the hobli level, while MLAs will be encouraged to conduct grievance redressal at the panchayat level.
The department will address issues related to pensions, Bhoomi Guarantee, khata, residential sites, homelessness and government schemes. Shivakumar said around 50,000 applications had already been received and assured citizens that every application would be pursued until a resolution was reached. Where legal intervention is required, lawyers will be made available to represent citizens in court.
Shivakumar said the initiative would function without discrimination based on party, caste or religion, with public service as its primary objective.
He also said 102 taluks have been declared drought-hit, while more than 50 additional taluks could be included in the second list.