Andhra government adopts Delhi Doorstep model

After the successful implementation of Doorstep Service Delivery (DSD) of Delhi government Andhra Pradesh now comes up with a similar scheme for delivery of public services. The 'Village Secretariat' designed by the newly sworn Y S Jaganmohan Reddy's government envisages setting up centres in every village, under which the volunteers would function to deliver various government services to the citizens at their doors. The government sources said that the concept of village volunteers aimed at ensuring timely and transparent services and to eliminate corruption at all levels of administration in the state. Also, the volunteers will identify various problems faced by people under their jurisdiction and will bring them to the notice of the gram panchayat for resolution. 

“The government is committed to revamp delivery systems in the state with an aim to improve living standards of the people through the concept of Navrathnalu as the core theme of governance", a department release says. The scheme provides village volunteers with an honorarium of Rs5,000 per month and entrust them with the task of door delivery of the government welfare schemes. There will be one volunteer for 50 households. The government will spend Rs 1,200 crore per annum to employ about four lakh volunteers from villages to take the benefits of government service to the doorstep of beneficiaries in rural areas. Besides the normal rule of reservation, women would be considered for 50 per cent of the posts within each category.

 The emulating model of Delhi government offers diverse services at the doors of citizen without hassles and doing away from brave snaking queues and visits to the offices. In order to avail the services citizens have to call the 24x7 helpline number 1076, and the call centre will take down the relevant details and inform you about the documents required as well as the applicable payment. Once the appointment is confirmed, the government will send a representative (mobile sahayak) to the doors of citizen to help and apply the service. A service charge of Rs.50 will be accounted from the applicant for this service.

Mail Today report revealed that the number of well-entrenched touts in some of the Delhi government offices in Civil Lines, Mall Road, Burari, Janakpuri and Matiyala had reduced sharply within two months of the scheme's launch. The programme launched in in last September 2018 has overwhelming response from the citizens. More than ten lakhs request were handled under the programme. There are 150 mobile sahayaks, 200 call centre executives,  and 50 dealing assistants are working under the programme. The programme envisaged to implement in three phases which comprises of a total of hundred services. Government is planning to make DSD a single window inorder to curb touts and intermediaries. A dedicated professional project management unit is constituted and hired an agency to strengthen the operation of the scheme.