The State government is all set to bring out a legislation on the 'Grama Sachivalayams and Ward Sachivalayams Department' (Village Secretariat and Ward Secretariat Department) that have revolutionised the way government services are delivered to the people.
The implementation of the decentralised governance through secretariats has been fruitful as nearly 15 lakh service requests are fulfilled locally every month.
The draft Bill on the ‘Grama Sachivalayams and Ward Sachivalayams Department Act, 2022’ has been prepared, and the same will be tabled before the State Cabinet for its approval soon, according to official sources.
The department had come into being in 2019, after which the village and ward secretariats were established.
At present, the secretariats are providing over 540 services, and the top 10 services availed of by the public include Integrated Certificate, Income Certificate, Record of Rights (1b), Member Addition in Rice Card, Computerised Adangal, electricity bill payment, gouse site application, YSR pension application, new rice card and splitting of rice card.
Payment of water tax for agricultural lands, issue of birth & death certificate, trade licence renewal, title transfer, collection of water charges, new water connections, and Hindu marriage certificates are among other services provided at the secretariats.
The State, as a policy measure, desires to provide a new structure to deliver innumerable other citizen-centric services and amenities, including the indicative list of Citizen Services mentioned in the 11th Schedule and 12th Schedule of the Constitution, says an official.
There are over 15,000 secretariats in the State with 1.30 lakh staff (secretaries) representing various government departments. Of the 1.3 lakh employees, the service of 1.05 lakh employees was regularised upon completion of probation recently, officials said.
