Introduction
The Government of Haryana promulgated Haryana Right to Service Ordinance on 16/12/2013 and published the same in the Gazette on 19/12/2013. Thereafter, the Haryana Right to Service Act, 2014 (HRTS Act, 2014) was passed by the State Assembly and notified the same in the official Gazette on 26/03/2014.
The Haryana Right to Service Act, 2014 was enacted with the sole objective of providing an effective frame work for time bound delivery of services being provided by various government departments under the State of Haryana in order to promote transparency and accountability. As per Section 12 (1) & (2) of the HRTS Act, 2014, there is a provision to constitute Haryana Right to Service Commission (HRTSC) and it shall be a statutory body. The Commission has been constituted vide Notification Dated 31st July, 2014 issued by the State Government. For an effective implementation and to carry out the purpose of this Act, the State Govt. has also made the Haryana Right to Service Rules, 2014 and notified the same vide Notification dated 1st July, 2014.
The HRTS Act, 2014 has empowered people to seek maximum advantage of services in a hassle free, transparent and time-bound manner through an effective service delivery mechanism. The services delivered within the prescribed time limits and without any hassle will enhance credibility of the government functioning. This will also fulfill the maximum expectations of the people with regard to rendering of services by the Government.
Objectives & Functions
The Commission under Section 17 of the Act can take Suo Moto notice of failure to deliver services in accordance with this Act and refer such cases for decision to the First or the Second Grievance Redressal Authority and pass such orders, as may be appropriate. The Commission is also empowered to carry out inspections of offices entrusted with the delivery of the Services and recommend departmental action against the erring officers, change in procedure & process and to recommend additional services to be notified/ modifications in already issued notifications. The Commission can also impose penalty on the Designated Officers or any other official involved in the process of providing such services up to a sum of Rs.20,000/- and can also allow compensation up to Rs. 5,000/-, to be paid to the eligible person by the defaulter.
Where the commission is satisfied that there are reasonable grounds to enquire into a matter arising out of the provisions of this Act, it may also, suo moto, initiate an enquiry in respect thereof for better implementation of this Act.
The Haryana Government in the first instance notified 163 services under the Act vide notification dated 07.05.2015 for time bound delivery and also notified the Designated Officers, First Grievance Redressal Authority and Second Grievance Redressal Authority. Further, more Services have been brought under the purview of HRTS Act, 2014. As on 20th July 2021 , there are 531 Notified Services under the Act.