Chandigarh, April 9: Haryana Governor Prof. Ashim Kumar Ghosh said that the state ranks among the leading performers in the country in delivering government services to citizens within a stipulated time frame, which is a matter of pride for all of us.

He was speaking at Lok Bhawan today on the occasion of the release of the Haryana Right to Service Commission’s Annual Report for 2024–25. He also appreciated the ‘Auto Appeal System’ implemented by the government, under which, once the stipulated time period lapses, an application is automatically converted into an appeal and brought to the notice of higher authorities for resolution.

The Governor congratulated the Commission, the state government, and all officials associated with this initiative for their continued commitment to strengthening public service delivery. He said that the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has consistently emphasized that governance should not remain confined to procedures alone, but must be based on tangible outcomes. He has clearly stated that merely moving a file forward cannot be considered completion of work unless the grievance reaches a logical conclusion.

The Governor also underlined that grievance redressal is a key pillar of democracy, where every citizen should receive a timely and meaningful response, and where technology and good governance together become powerful tools for public service. He said that effective governance is based on transparency, accountability, and time-bound delivery of services. The Haryana Right to Service framework brings these principles together in an organized manner. Fixed timelines, accountability at every level, and the provision of automatic appeals in case of delays make service delivery a structured and rights-based process.

Prof. Ashim Kumar Ghosh said that Haryana has developed a robust and responsive system, which is being seen as a model for other states. In particular, the use of technology through the Auto Appeal System strengthens administrative monitoring and makes service delivery more consistent and measurable. He appreciated the efforts of the state government and the administration in this regard.

CPSCM Rajesh Khullar describes citizen service as the foundation of good governance

The Chief Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, Rajesh Khullar, said that the true measure of the success of any administrative system lies in ensuring that citizens receive services within the stipulated time frame in a transparent and effective manner. He stated that citizen service is the core philosophy of good governance, which the Commission has further strengthened in Haryana. Continuous monitoring by the Commission, a robust accountability mechanism, and time-bound delivery of services have brought about a positive change in the work culture of departments.

He urged officials that merely forwarding cases is not sufficient; rather, they must be taken to their logical conclusion so that citizens receive real relief, which is the true objective of public service.

He added that India’s civilization and culture teach us that “service is the highest duty,” and this spirit is clearly reflected in the functioning of the Commission. By integrating technology, transparency, and accountability, the Commission has made citizen services simpler, more effective, and outcome-oriented. This has not only strengthened citizens’ trust in governance but has also improved the quality and efficiency of service delivery within departments.

He expressed confidence that this approach of the Commission will set even higher standards of good governance in the future and ensure every citizen’s right to time-bound services.

RTS Commission has become a strong medium of trust for common citizens: Anurag Rastogi

Speaking on this occasion, Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi stated that around 10–15 years ago, if a citizen applied for a government service, they often had no way of knowing at which level their file was pending or when they would receive the service. In many cases, even finding out the status of an application was difficult.

However, after the implementation of the Right to Service (RTS) system in Haryana, this situation has completely changed. Today, citizens are not only receiving services within a fixed time frame, but they can also easily track the status of their applications at every stage through a simple portal and a transparent system.

He said that this transformation did not happen automatically, but is the result of years of institutional effort, accountability, and strong administrative will. The Haryana Right to Service Commission has played a historic role in this direction. The disposal of lakhs of complaints and applications stands as proof that the Commission has become a strong and reliable medium of trust for common citizens. He added that under the guidance of T.C. Gupta, the work done by the Commission has emerged as an effective model of good governance and administrative reform.

T.C. Gupta highlights key achievements of 12 years

On this occasion, the Chief Commissioner of the Haryana Right to Service Commission, T.C. Gupta, stated that over the past 12 years, the Commission has established a strong and reliable system in the field of time-bound delivery of citizen services. He informed that at the time of the Commission’s establishment in 2014, the appeal process was entirely manual, which caused unnecessary complications for common citizens.

To address this challenge, the Commission developed an innovative system like the Auto Appeal System (AAS), which has now become an effective model of good governance. He said that currently, 802 notified services of 56 departments and organizations in the state are linked to this system. So far, 2743481 appeals and revisions have been registered, out of which 2698634 cases have been resolved. An approximate disposal rate of 98.4 percent reflects the Commission’s effective functioning, technology-driven administration, and commitment to citizen welfare.

Under the Haryana Right to Service Act, all notified provisions have been effectively implemented mainly across three categories—services, benefits, and grievance redressal.

He further stated that services related to income, caste, domicile, birth and death certificates, electricity, water supply, sewerage, property ID, character certificates, and various welfare schemes have become a source of relief and convenience for lakhs of citizens through this system. On the occasion of the release of the Annual Report, he expressed confidence that the Commission will continue to strengthen citizens’ trust through technology-driven, transparent, accountable, and time-bound service delivery.

On this occasion, officials and technical experts who made outstanding contributions in time-bound service delivery, prompt disposal of complaints, and effective implementation of the Auto Appeal System were also honoured. These included Chief Administrator of HSVP Chandrashekhar Khare, Municipal Commissioner of Faridabad Dhirendra Khadgata, Executive Engineer of DHBVN, Hisar Hoshiar Singh, Executive Engineer of PHED, Naraingarh Anil Kumar Chauhan, System Analyst of NIC Anshu Sethi, and Software Developer of NIC Prashant Kumar.

Lady Governor Mitra Ghosh, ACS Health Dr. Sumita Mishra, ACS Printing and Stationary Vineet Garg, ACS SEWA G. Anupama, ACS Higher Education A.K. Singh, PSCM Arun Kumar Gupta, ACS Town and Country Planning Anurag Agarwal, ACS Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Vijeyendra Kumar, Principal Secreary Department of Future Amneet P. Kumar, along with many senior officers and distinguished guests, were also present on this occasion.