THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Local Self-Government Minister M K Muneer has said that the LSG Department will release the citizens’ charter of rights and will distribute SIM cards to all the local body office-bearers and officials on September 5.According to the Kerala Panchayati Raj Act of 1994, all the grama panchayats had to publish its citizens’ charter of rights describing the services being provided by it and the time-frame stipulated for this. This is for the first time that the Panchayat Department is going to publish the citizens’ charter of rights.The charter of rights comprises the services, being made available from the offices of the Panchayat Deputy Director, Asst Panchayat Director and Grama Panchayat. Right to Information with regard to the Panchayati Raj institutions and telephone/mobile numbers of panchayat presidents/secretaries have also been included.The minister said that as the panchayat presidents and department officials had been included in the Closed User Groups (CUG), in association with the BSNL, the customers under the group could speak 300 minutes free of cost to other BSNL numbers. From other mobile service numbers, 200 minutes local free talk time has also been made available. The officials could also send 350 SMS free of cost.The expenses of the panchayat presidents and secretaries will be met from the panchayat’s own fund. For others, the fund will be made available from the budget provisions.The SIM cards will be given to 978 panchayat presidents, 978 panchayat secretaries, 14 assistant panchayat directors, 14 panchayat deputy directors. Muneer said that Chief Minister Oommen Chandy would inaugurate the distribution of SIM cards, at a function to be held at the Panchayat Bhavan here on September 5 at 10.30 a.m.Transport and Devaswom Minister V S Sivakumar will release the charter.
Comments
0 comment