The state government’s higher and technical education department has promised to shorten the time period required for carrying out services for students such as re-evaluation of marksheets, issuing du
The state government’s higher and technical education department has promised to shorten the time period required for carrying out services for students such as re-evaluation of marksheets, issuing duplicate and migration certificates, verifying documents etc. The works would now be completed between 15 and 30 days, declared the government in a circular issued recently.
The step comes in after the state government implemented the Right to Service Act last year, promising the citizens to provide certain services within a stipulated time period. In a fresh circular issued by the higher and technical education department on January 18, 10 services at university levels have been included in the government’s list.
The circular also stated the stipulated time period that each of the listed service should take along with the details of the designated officer and appellate authorities assigned to it. The notification has also provided phone numbers and email ids of authorities of the concerned universities whom the students can approach if they face any difficulty in securing the documents.
However, education activists have termed this move as a farce. “The government has no control over the authorities in the universities. There are hundreds of students awaiting migrating certificates for over two months. Also, the notification does not mention how much time the appellate authorities will take to deliver the certificates. In several places the required authorities have not even been appointed,” said Sham Sonar, member of campaign against commercialisation of education. He further added, “The circular may seem student friendly but to implement it would be difficult.”
The Right to Service Act was one of the initial announcements made by the state government after it came to power. It has come into force from October 2015, bringing 224 services from 12 state government departments under the Act. Of these services, 42 were even made available online on the government web portal.
Among the services that are currently available include issuing of documents like birth and caste certificates, domicile certificates, ration cards, licences for small business establishments, among others. The individual departments are now defining services to be made accessible to the public.
The home department was the first to define its services to the citizens last year.
