Haryana expands time-bound public services to 791 under right to service law

Haryana's government enhances the Right to Services Act, expanding it to cover 791 services, promising timely delivery and imposing penalties for delays.

The Haryana government has expanded the scope of the Haryana Right to Services Act to cover 791 services across departments and organisations, making their delivery time-bound and subjecting delays or denials by officials to penalties, according to Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini.

With a focus on reducing bureaucracy and improving accountability, these reforms aim to simplify processes for citizens, entrepreneurs, and investors alike. (HT_PRINT)

The Haryana Right to Service Commission oversees delivery under the law. The number of notified services has risen from 163 initially to 791, with the commission empowered to summon negligent officers and impose penalties of up to ₹20,000. It can also award compensation of up to ₹5,000 to an affected applicant.

The government said the reforms are aimed at reducing red tape, removing duplicate approvals and speeding up services for citizens, entrepreneurs and investors. The reform agenda covers land regulations, construction, utilities, industrial development, power, environment, education and healthcare, with reforms implemented in eight priority areas.

Saini said the administration has been taken closer to people through measures including expanding services under the right to service law and delivering social welfare benefits at people’s doorsteps. He also said the government has sought to improve the business environment by reducing regulatory requirements and compliances.

Among the initiatives cited by the government is the rollout of e-Office to every office. The system, developed by the National Informatics Centre, is intended to digitise official files and correspondence and promote paperless, transparent and accountable administration.

The government has also made food testing more accessible, allowing food samples to be tested at a doorstep for ₹20 per sample. It said 1,646 Ward Committees have been constituted in urban local bodies to help citizens and address grievances.

In healthcare, the state is simplifying registration and NOC requirements for medical practitioners and creating a single nodal mechanism for healthcare-specific licences. The government said action has been taken on 21 of 28 priority reforms under the Centre’s Phase-II Compliance Reduction and Deregulation Exercise.