The Punjab Cabinet today gave its nod to an ordinance which seeks to boost transparency and accountability in delivery of public services, including electronic service delivery, in the state.
With the 'Punjab Transparency & Accountability in delivery of Public Services (including electronic service delivery), Ordinance 2017' getting the government nod, the Punjab Right to Service (RTS) Act, 2011, ceases to exist.
The Right to Service Act did not
provide provision for mandatory online/digital system to receive requests for various services and delivery thereof in a time-bound manner.
The ordinance had been drafted after discussions with various stakeholders to understand and ascertain the issues involved in the implementation and compliance of the RTS Act, 2011, according to an official spokesperson.
Based on the comments and feedback received, the initial draft of the ordinance was revised after incorporating recommendations from various quarters, including the Chairman, Punjab Governance Reforms and Ethics Commission.
Among the key features of the Ordinance are: back-end computerization of all public services within three to five years, online receipt of service requests to become mandatory, electronic delivery of services to citizens in a time-bound manner to enhance transparency and accountability.
Other areas of focus relate to inclusion of a healthy system of incentives and disincentives for the public authority and its staff, intimation or tracking of application status by the applicants through mobiles or internet regarding their request, and simplifying redressal/appeal mechanism with faster delivery of justice.
In another decision, the cabinet gave its ex-post facto approval to extend the tenure of Bhagat Puran Singh Sehat Bima Yojana (BPSSBY) upto March 31, 2018, with a view to provide annual health insurance cover up to Rs. 50,000 to about 29 lakh families.
The term of the scheme expired on October 31, 2017.
Under the scheme, around 300 private and 200 government hospitals have been empanelled to provide health benefits to the 29 lakh odd families.
The state government was also working on a plan to cover the entire population of Punjab under Universal Health Insurance Scheme, said the spokesperson, adding the health department was in the process of preparing the design and structure of the scheme.
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