In a bid to take the administration to the doorstep of people in rural areas, the State government on Wednesday made it mandatory for key district administration officials, including deputy commissioners (DCs), to visit villages regularly. It also prescribed schedules for holding pubic grievance meetings in villages.
Announcing this at a press conference here after holding a video conference with the DCs of all the districts, Revenue Minister R. Ashok said the DCs have to hear public grievances in villages once a month. The DCs had been told to choose a village and hold public grievances meetings on every third Saturday. They have been specifically instructed to make efforts to provide on-the-spot relief, he said.Divisional commissioners had been told to visit villages twice a month while it was mandatory for tahsildars to hold public grievance meetings in villages four times a month, the Minister said. The tahsidlars would hold such meetings from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
At the rural public grievance meetings, the officials concerned would handle various issues ranging from RTC of farm land, to encroachment of government land, complaints relating to issuing of caste certificates, and regularisation of unauthorised houses built on government land, he said.
Old age pension
Mr. Ashok announced that there would not be any need for the eligible elderly persons to apply for old age pension. The government itself would identify such persons and take steps to reach the pension to them at their doorstep, he said.
Any person from a poor family who is aged 60 would get an intimation from the government through post about his eligibility to get old age pension. Such a scheme, being taken up in association with the Postal Department, would be launched in Udupi in about a week, the Minister said.
The Revenue Minister said the DCs had been instructed to ensure that repairs and construction of houses that were damaged in the recent floods should be completed within the next three months.
