Posts filed under ‘Information for citizens’
Students helpline in Orissa a huge hit
Following is from The Telegraph:
Bhubaneswar, Oct. 29: The telephone hasn’t stopped ringing at the state school and mass education departments’ grievance cell, where the recently launched students helpline has received a staggering 285 calls in just one week.
This makes it about 40-odd complaints a day from students and their wards across the state.
While the figures are a clear indication of the mounting dissatisfaction among students and their parents, one cannot rule out the increasing popularity of the helpline among the student community.
Students have been making calls to register their grievances from across the state on various issues concerning them.
While majority of calls are regarding teacher absenteeism, students have been complaining about shortage of teachers, non-availability of books and private coaching too.
Among other major complaints are the dismal condition of school buildings, non-availability of uniforms, mid day meals and quality of teaching.
There have also been queries on scholarships and stipends.
However no cases of sexual harassment has been reported yet although the department has put a women staff in place receive such calls so that girl students feel comfortable about making complaints regarding sexual abuse.
Both students and their parents have been making calls, officials handling the helpline said.
“The complaints were being duly registered and fed in computers.
Field staff was contacted on a daily basis.
“Some complaints have also been discussed in a recent review meeting,” said an official, adding that the next review meeting is to be scheduled on November 6.
The department launched the toll free number, 1800 345 6722, and an email help line schoolstudenthelplinesme@gmail.com on October 19.
The aim was to provide direct access to students going through mental, physical or sexual harassment at schools or hostels could directly air their grievances before the government.
At the time of the launch of the helpline, secretary of the school and mass education department, Aparajita Sarangi had said that the number and email address of the helpline should be put up in prominent places in both public and private schools so that students could get familiar with them.
The toll-free number remains open from 8 am to 8 pm on all working days.
Orissa launches e-Abhijog facility
Following is a report by PTI published in Yahoo:
Bhubaneswar, July 31 (PTI) Susanta Rout, an ailing man from Orissa”s tribal-dominated Kalahandi district, was the instant beneficiary of a web-based grievance redressal and monitoring system launched by the state government today. Rout, suffering from serious ailments including kidney failure, came online seeking assistance from Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who inaugurated the e-Abhijog facility, for his treatment.
The Kalahandi district collector forwarded Rout”s application online to Chief Minister”s Relief Fund. An amount of Rs 30,000 was sanctioned for his treatment.
Another beneficiary was Basanta Maharana, a 55-year- old woman from Gobindpur area in Cuttack district. Frustrated at her failure to convince district-level officials the need for construction of a 1,100 metre road in her village, she apprised the chief minister about the same.
Maharana”s grievance was immediately addressed, a senior official, who was present at the launch, said. “The e-Abhijog system has a variety of features to help people.
A citizen can now forward any grievance online from anywhere in the world at any time,” Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said after inaugurating the facility. The new system was implemented by Orissa branch of the National Informatics Centre (NIC).
The system facilitates online transfer of grievances to concerned departments, he said, adding senior officers can monitor the process on a real time basis for speedy redressal. Besides facilitating access of grievances to the government, the system also allows its users to monitor progress made on his/her complaints, state chief secretary Tarunkanti Mishra added.
77 passport help centres to open up nationwide:PTI
New Delhi, Apr 20 (PTI) External Affairs Minister S M Krishna today said 77 passport sewa kendras (help centre) will be opened across the country to ease issuance of the key travel document.
In his reply to the Demand for Grants for Ministry of External Affairs in the Lok Sabha, Krishna said pilot passport sewa kendras have started functioning in seven cities across the country, including Bangalore, Mangalore, Hubli and Chandigarh.
The software and other logistical needs have been tested thoroughly at these locations, from where 1,000 passports have already been issued.
The remaining 70 such centres will be established soon, he said.
President’s secretariat helpline
Here is the link to President’s secretariat helpline: http://helpline.rb.nic.in/. I am told that this will assign you a case ID by which you can check the online status of your case time to time. At the same time, if your case is good, then you are likely to receive an acknowledgment about the acceptance of your case from the President’s office.
Thanks to Prashant K Sahoo for this information.
Online Right to Information (RTI)
Following is a report from expressbuzz.com:
From now on, one would not have to go to the different offices or Government departments to seek and obtain information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. Log on to http://www.rtiorissa.gov.in to access different departments and wings of the Government, file RTI applications and receive the response.
The RTI portal developed by the Information and Public Relation Department and the State Information Commission in association with Luminous Infoways was inaugurated by Chief Information Commissioner DN Padhi here. The portal seeks to present a clear picture on the Government departments and organisations and intends to effect transparency and accountability in the system of Governance, he said.
As per the Section 4 (1) A of the RTI Act every Government department or organisation would have to make available all information through computer network, display board and maintain registers for public.
Every department and their subordinate offices would be linked up in the network through a software christened Lok Soochana and provided with individual IDs and passwords for uploading information. Till now about 600 departments and Government organisations have been linked up with individual IDs. Besides, providing comprehensive information on their organisation and activities, the network would enable each parent department to monitor if their subordinate offices were implementing RTI properly. The departments and PSUs would also have to publish their annual reports and compliances with the cases on the portal.
The citizen would just have to visit the portal to fill the form for application and submit his query and preferences on the mode of receiving response. They can also file cases in the Commission’s appeal section against violations.
The I&PR Department being the nodal agency would also be able to monitor the RTI implementation by the other wings of the Government and report to the CIC.
Kosal Discussion and Development Forum 