The Kolkata Municipal Corporation will set up 157 neighbourhood camps from Friday to help residents access 46 government services, real estate regulatory assistance and free screenings for malaria, dengue and tuberculosis, in a citywide effort to take civic and welfare services closer to citizens.
KMC administrator and municipal commissioner Smita Pandey said 15 state government departments would participate in the outreach programme. The services listed include Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, PM Suraksha Bima Yojana, the West Bengal student credit card, pre- and post-matric scholarships, Jai Johar, PM Svanidhi and pension schemes for older people, widows and persons with disabilities.
Residents will also be able to seek assistance for Kanya Ratna, PM Vishwakarma and the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme. The camps are intended to help eligible citizens apply for government schemes in their own neighbourhoods rather than depend solely on visits to departmental offices.
“We have taken up an outreach programme to bridge the gap between the govt and citizens. Fifteen state departments will offer 46 types of services that the citizens may avail at the camps that will be set up in their neighbourhoods,” Pandey said, according to the Times of India. She added that the state government would track the progress of services provided to citizens who apply for selected facilities.
The programme will also cover real estate-related assistance. Citizens and real estate firms can access services connected with projects regulated under the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) framework and file compensation claims through Form-N before the West Bengal Real Estate Regulatory Authority.
The inclusion of RERA services extends the camps beyond welfare enrolment and health checks, giving homebuyers and real estate stakeholders a local access point for regulatory assistance. The report did not specify the individual locations, operating hours or documentation requirements for each camp.
KMC’s health department will conduct free screening for malaria, dengue and tuberculosis at the camps. These services add a public-health component to the outreach programme, particularly by placing basic screening facilities alongside welfare and administrative services.
A KMC official who had earlier worked with Duare Sarkar, another government outreach programme, said the civic body had trained its manpower to respond to citizen applications and problems. “We want them to apply for the government schemes as they are the real beneficiaries of these welfare schemes,” the official said.
The camps will begin on Friday, with the state government expected to monitor the progress of applications and services delivered through the programme.
