Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Saturday launched the Praja Seva Department in Kudligi, Vijayanagara district, with a mandate to take government services and grievance redressal directly to residents across all 224 Assembly constituencies.
Speaking at the launch, Shivakumar said the system was intended to end the need for citizens to repeatedly visit government offices to pursue routine applications and complaints. Officials and elected representatives will be required to meet residents in their local areas and work towards resolving issues at the site, he said.
Under the programme, public representatives and officials will be present among residents on the first and third Saturdays of every month. Ministers will lead the initiative at the taluk and hobli levels, while legislators will oversee it at the panchayat level. If a legislator is unavailable, officials will be directed to visit panchayat centres, hold small meetings and receive public complaints directly.
The chief minister said the programme would cover matters including pensions, land disputes, access to government benefits, mutation of land records, guarantee schemes, and applications related to houses and residential sites. He said merely accepting an application would not be considered sufficient and that the department would be expected to ensure that an appropriate resolution reached the applicant.
The initiative will also include legal assistance for economically disadvantaged residents involved in disputes before the tahsildar, assistant commissioner or deputy commissioner. According to the announcement, applicants whose requests are rejected will be given a clear explanation for the decision. The government will continue to support applicants until their issues are resolved, Shivakumar said.
The chief minister also announced measures related to property documentation under the Bhoomi Guarantee scheme. He said 25,276 people in the taluk had already received title documents and instructed officials to deliver e-khata records to residents’ homes after measuring properties and including photographs of property owners.
The programme is being promoted with the slogan “Your government has come to your doorstep; let your cooperation continue.” Shivakumar said the broader objective was to ensure that government schemes and services reached every eligible person and that administration was not conducted solely from offices such as Vidhana Soudha, deputy commissionerate or taluk headquarters.
During the event, he also said the government would form guarantee-scheme committees in every panchayat. The administration plans to establish Bharat Jodo Yuvak Sanghas in villages to encourage cultural, sporting and leadership activities, he said.
Shivakumar further stated that a second phase of drought-affected taluk declarations would be considered within the framework of Central government guidelines. A report on drought conditions in Karnataka was being prepared, while surveys were under way in more than 50 taluks. Taluks meeting the prescribed rainfall and other criteria would be considered for declaration by the end of the month, he said.
