Kerala raises bar on citizens’ rights

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala legislature passed a significant bill today aimed at better services for the common man, when it enacted the Right to Services Bill. The important piece of legislation makes service from government a right for the common man, and means an end to frustrating delays at government offices that people have endured for decades.

Ironically, the bill was passed in the absence of the Opposition Left Democratic Front, whose members had earlier staged a walkout, prompting Chief Minister Oommen Chandy to remark that the legislation was being enacted with the passive support of the Opposition. Speaker G Karthikeyan remarked that the Act once again made the Kerala legislature part of history.

The Act will ensure that services at government offices and local bodies will be a right of the common man, and officials who fail in providing such services within the time-frame prescribed, can be brought before the law. The fines for failure in providing timely service may range from Rs500 to Rs5,000.

A few other states have passed similar Acts, but the passage of the Bill is significant. The legislation means that the common man will now be able to get various services within a reasonable timeframe, without having to bribe government officials, and raising transparency of government functioning.

Some of the services that have been included in the provisions of the Act are issuance of certificates related to birth, death, denomination of caste, income and domicile, domestic and commercial electricity connections, domestic water connections, issuance of ration cards, time-bound verification of passport and employment status, and release of vehicles under custody.

The Act will specify time limits for various services to be delivered, and citizens will be able to hold government officials responsible for providing those services within the prescribed time limit.