By IANS,
Shimla : The Himachal Pradesh assembly Friday unanimously passed the Public Services Guarantee Bill which aims to ensure that government services are provided to people within a fixed time and penalizes officials in case of a delay.
The aim of the bill is to ensure transparency and fix accountability of the administration, said Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal.
Public services like issuing birth and caste certificates and copy of land records, among others, would be provided to the applicants within a stipulated time limit.
Section 8 (1) of the bill has a provision of imposing a penalty of Rs.1,000 and the amount could go up to a maximum of Rs.5,000 if the official concerned fails to deliver the service within a time frame.
The penalty would be borne by the erring officer.