Punjab Newsline, Chandigarh –
The Haryana Right to Service Commission has taken a strict stance over serious negligence and disorder found in the office of the District Programme Officer (DPO), Karnal. The Commission clarified that due to lack of coordination between subordinate staff and the DPO office, and the failure to issue timely directions, a beneficiary could not be provided the benefit of the scheme within the stipulated time limit, which led to a violation of the Haryana Right to Service Act, 2014.
A spokesperson of the Commission informed that the inquiry revealed this case to be an example of how officers’ indifference and lack of accountability can cause undue hardship to citizens. The Commission described the functioning of the DPO office as disorganized and made it clear that it is the responsibility of the office head to ensure timely and effective operations.
The Commission, finding the DO-cum-DPO, Karnal guilty under the Act, has imposed a fine of 10,000 on him and ordered payment of 5,000 compensation to the appellant. This amount will be deducted from his salary for September 2025. The fine will be deposited in the state treasury and the compensation will be transferred directly to the appellant’s bank account. The Commission has directed the Director General, Women and Child Development Department, to ensure deduction and payment of the amount and submit a compliance report to the Commission by October 13, 2025.
Along with this, the Commission has also directed the Director General of the Women and Child Development Department to deposit the scheme amount into the appellant’s account by September 5, 2025, and to provide comprehensive training to field staff on the e-Kuber system, so that beneficiaries do not face unnecessary delays or inconvenience in the future.
The Commission has further instructed the Additional Chief Secretary of the Department to ensure that the distribution of all schemes and services is carried out entirely online, so that transparency and accountability are maintained.
It is noteworthy that the complainant, a resident of Karnal, in his complaint filed before the Commission, alleged that under the scheme of the Women and Child Development Department, the appellant was not provided the benefit within the stipulated period under the Haryana Right to Service Act, 2014. The matter was registered on July 26, 2024, on the Saral Portal, but the amount was provided to the beneficiary on April 30, 2025, which was significantly delayed from the set timeline. The complaint also mentioned that the main reasons for this delay were lack of coordination in the office, delay in Unicode verification at the assistant level, and negligence by the accountant in bill processing. The appellant alleged that due to not receiving the benefit on time, he had to face unnecessary hardship.