Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann with Aam Aadmi Party National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal (Photo credit: ANI)
LUDHIANA: Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal launched an initiative on Wednesday to provide 56 faceless services related to driving licences and vehicle-registration certificates.Mann put a lock at a Regional Transport Office (RTO) here as a mark of symbolism, saying the lock has been put on the “inconvenience” caused to the common man and “corruption”.Interacting with the media, Kejriwal said the people of Punjab had become “slaves of the bureaucracy and their corrupt deeds” in the post-independence period.However, the state has been freed from it today, he said, adding that people will now get their driving licences, vehicle-registration certificates and other services by a single phone call on helpline number 1076.The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo said people are being freed from corruption, inconvenience and middlemen to get their work done.”This is a historic day for the people of Punjab as for the first time, faceless RTO services are being launched in the state,” he said.Kejriwal said the initiative can truly be called a digital revolution in the transport department as people will now get the services at their doorsteps. He said 56 major services related to driving licences and vehicle-registration certificates have now been made faceless.These services can be accessed through “seva kendras” set up across the state or by dialling 1076, he added.Previously, Kejriwal said people had to either visit the RTOs personally or apply online for a driving licence or vehicle registration certificate.After applying, they were required to visit the RTOs multiple times for tasks like document verification, which caused considerable inconvenience, especially to those living in remote areas, the elderly and differently-abled people, he said.Now, they will no longer have to visit the RTOs as these services will be provided through the “seva kendras” and the staff at these centres have been properly trained, Kejriwal said.He said all services can be conveniently accessed from home by dialling 1076.In his address, Mann said people faced a lot of inconvenience at the RTOs earlier and this has now come to an end.The step was in consonance with the AAP government’s zero-tolerance policy towards corruption, the chief minister said.None of the employees will be shunted out and their services will be duly utilised by the government in other departments in accordance with their eligibility, he said.Punjab has now become the first state in the country to close RTOs by providing facilities to people in a smooth and hassle-free manner, Mann said.He urged the masses to take the benefits of this major pro-people initiative of the state government, adding that in the coming days, more such digital and people-friendly decisions will be taken.Mann said in the financial year 2024-25, the transport department processed a total of 29,23,390 applications, of which 19,63,209 were linked to vehicle-registration certificates and 9,60,181 to driving licence-related services.To efficiently handle such a large volume of applications, a new citizen-friendly model was necessary, he said, adding that to ensure a smooth implementation of the new system, help desks have been set up at the RTOs for the first 15 days.The chief minister said these desks will guide people about the required documents and procedures under the new model, adding that with the introduction of this system, the RTOs can now focus more effectively on their core responsibilities and overall improvement of departmental operations. Go to Source