10 years after RTS Act, 43% of Maha govt services missing from digital portal
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10x3 graphic ready by Shreyas: K:\Unused-Graphics - RTS Info 22 Apr
Pune: Nearly 43% of notified services have remained offline or not been integrated with the state's digital platform, a decade after the Maharashtra Right to Public Services Act promised transparent and timely delivery of govt services.
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Officials revealed that of the 1,027 notified services, only 583 are currently available on the
Aaple Sarkar portal
— the state's integrated digital service platform. Taking its note, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has directed officials to ensure that 138 non-integrated services from various departments are available on the Aaple Sarkar portal by May 31. The deadline to bring the remaining 306 notified services online is August 15. Administrative heads could face a penalty of Rs1,000 per day for delay in implementation of the directive.
The landmark legislation will complete 10 years on April 28. Dilip Shinde, the Pune RTS commissioner, told TOI, "The effectiveness of the RTS (Right to Services) Act is directly tied to accessibility. When citizens have to navigate multiple platforms or physically visit offices for different services, we're not fulfilling the core promise of convenience, ease, timeliness and transparency."
He said, "The vision was always to have a single-window system, where citizens could access any govt service without running from pillar to post, in a transparent and timely manner. Having nearly half of our services outside the integrated platform creates unnecessary complexity for citizens, already dealing with bureaucratic processes," Shinde said.
Shinde emphasised that the fragmented nature of service delivery was contrary to the act's purpose: "When services are scattered across different departmental portals or remain offline, monitoring timelines of service delivery becomes difficult. The act empowers citizens to hold govt departments accountable, but this requires standardised and trackable processes."
The Maharashtra Right to Public Service Act came into effect on April 28, 2015. It was designed to make administration more accountable, while empowering citizens. The act established a commission with powers to inspect public offices, recommend departmental inquiries against defaulting authorities and impose fines ranging from Rs500 to Rs5,000.
"As we mark this decade milestone, we need to acknowledge both our achievements and shortcomings. Our digital infrastructure has grown tremendously, but the real measure of success is whether a farmer in remote Maharashtra can access and receive services as easily as someone in urban areas or not," Shinde said.
"The next phase of RTS implementation must focus on complete digital integration. Citizens' expectations are evolving rapidly in the digital age. Multiple service portals or offline processes will be increasingly untenable. A truly effective RTS ecosystem requires a unified and seamless platform that citizens can navigate with ease," he said.
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