How to Apply Under Right to Public Services Act

The Right to Public Services Act is an act passed by the legislative assembly of India, that ensures time-bound delivery of public services to people of states whose state assembly has voted the act in power.

Madhya Pradesh, under the leadership of the Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan, became the first Indian state to implement the Right to Public Services Act in 2010. Bihar, under the leadership of Nitish Kumar, became the second one to implement it on 25 July 2011.

The act aims to make the process of application, assessment, and execution of public services easier. In RTPS, as soon as a person makes his or her application for any of the above listed public service, government officials have to acknowledge and act on it within a fixed period of time. Each service comes with its own fixed interval, within which if the designated government official doesn't act, then he or she has to face the action. And it might come either in the form of a suspension or a financial penalty.

If anyone wishes to avail any of the above listed public services, then all they have to do is to simply visit their state's RTPS website. Like RTPS Bihar or RTPS Madhya Pradesh. Once on the e-portal, one can easily choose the service they wish to apply for. Applicants first have to register themselves by providing the necessary personal details. They are then provided with a login ID and password, which they can use to log in anytime they need to track their application process.

Once the ID and passwords are received, the applicant has to choose from the services for which they wish to apply for. After filling all the necessary primary and secondary details, applicants are provided with a reference ID which they could use to track the status of their application. A government official is also allocated to the whole application, who has to provide a satisfactory answer within a stipulated time period.

There have been many cases when an applicant didn't receive the response he or she was looking for. But thanks to the strong framework of RTPS act, applicants are never left with unfinished business. In case an applicant doesn't receive a document that they asked for, or didn't receive it in the set period of time, they can simply approach the FAA (First Appellate Authority). The authority then assesses the appeal and reserves the right to either punish the designated officer or to reject the appeal.

The applicant still has an opportunity to take the issue to the Second Appellate Authority. The second appellate authority has the same rights as the first appellate authority and can either choose to either punish the designated official or scrap the appeal.

The fine in such cases could range from a financial penalty, to be imposed on the official found in the breach of service code of conduct, or an order for the disciplinary proceedings against the charged official.

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