The Hindu         29.01.2015   

Corpn. service centres for 13 divisions

Basic services from the Kochi Corporation can soon be accessed through regional stations to be set up in select divisions of the local body.

Christened Seva Gram, the units will come up in 13 divisions of the Kochi Corporation in the first phase shortly. The public can avail of the basic services, including application forms for various welfare pensions and birth and death certificates. Important announcements regarding the selection of beneficiaries for various welfare programmes too would be published at these centres, said Tony Chammany, Kochi Mayor.

It has been proposed that the units will function as the extension centres of the local body. With the units becoming operational, one need not come all the way to the main offices of the local body for obtaining the application forms and accessing the beneficiary lists and information released by the civic administration, Mr. Chammany said.

The units are conceived as the meeting points for ward sabhas, the grass root level forum for deciding on the development projects that are to be implemented in each locality.

The proposal was mooted by the Kerala Institute for Local Administration. The division councillors will be responsible for the functioning of the units, which shall remain open between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. for at least five days a week.

The public can avail of the basic services, including application forms for various welfare pensions and birth and death certificates.