Punjab govt’s service centres

Hoshiarpur/Daljeet Ajnoha/August 8— Former MP Avinash Rai Khanna on Friday accused the Punjab government’s service centres of becoming “dilemma centres” for the public, saying citizens face prolonged delays in issuance of caste, residence and income certificates despite the state’s promises of monthly cash support for women.
Khanna said while the state talks of providing Rs 1,000–1,500 per month to all women, many applications for essential documents submitted at government service centres have been pending for three months or more. “The service centres established across the state are proving to be ‘dilemma centres’ for the people,” he said.
He pointed out that ordinary citizens are forced to make repeated visits to service centres to get their crucial documents processed, but in many places certificates related to caste, income and residence are not being issued on time. This, he said, is causing severe difficulties for people trying to avail benefits under government schemes.
Khanna warned that unless the government ensures smooth and transparent delivery of public services, its welfare schemes will not reach the intended beneficiaries. He underlined the importance of caste, income and residence certificates for students, job applicants, pensioners and those seeking benefits under various government programmes.
“Unnecessary delays in issuing these certificates are stalling important work, disrupting students’ studies and forcing people to repeatedly visit government offices and service centres,” he said.
He demanded that the certificate-issuing process at all service centres be immediately streamlined, pending applications disposed of within fixed timeframes and officials made accountable to spare citizens avoidable hardship. Khanna warned that if corrective action is not taken, he will raise the matter before the state Governor and the Human Rights Commission.