Big response to doorstep delivery of services on Day 1: Delhi Government
New Delhi, Sep 10 : The Delhi Government on Monday launched the doorstep delivery of 40 public services which received a huge response from the people living in the national capital with 369 appointments fixed within hours.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who launched the scheme at the Delhi Secretariat, will monitor the output data personally on an hourly basis for the next few days, said a statement from the Delhi Government. Within hours of its launch, the hotline 1076 was flooded with calls.
By 1.30 p.m. over 1,200 calls were received and 200 appointments were booked, according to the data provided by the government. By 6 p.m., 2,728 calls were connected. Out of these, 1,286 were connected directly and for rest, the operators had called back.
"A total of 21,000 calls were attempted but could not be connected due to very heavy traffic. The operators will call back each unique number," the official data said.
Out of the total appointments fixed, in seven cases the documents were also collected.
"However, the number of calls as compared to day one is likely to go down on the consecutive days as there were many callers who called just out of curiosity and to know whether the scheme has started," it said.
"Call centre flooded with calls. Many applicants can't get through the call centre. Would request people to be a little patient and stagger the calls," Gahlot said in a tweet.
Gopal Mohan, the man behind the initiative and Kejriwal's advisor on technological and anti-corruption subjects, has been working on the scheme for the last three years. He is also working very closely on Delhi Government's Wi-Fi and CCTV schemes.
Speaking to IANS, Mohan said making the plan was essential as everyone is not comfortable with the online services.
"Only 7-8 per cent were comfortable with the online system when it was planned in December 2015, but could not implement this due to a number of reasons," he told IANS.
"Looking at the huge number of calls received on the first day, the number of operators is being increased from 40 to 80 from Tuesday. Similarly, the number of lines is also being increased from 50 to 120 from Tuesday," he said.
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People must do politics; elected representatives must work, says Actor Prakash Raj
Kalaburagi: Actor and activist Prakash Raj has said that in a democracy, politics must be done by the people, while elected representatives are meant to work and serve after winning elections.
Speaking at the launch of Vartha Bharati's Kalyana Karnataka edition in Kalaburagi on Saturday, Prakash Raj said that once representatives are elected, their only responsibility is service. “This is our tax, our country. Service is the only job of people’s representatives. They come to seek votes every five years; the people do not,” he said.
Releasing the newspaper’s special issue at the event, he asserted that the distinction between people and politicians must never be reversed. “This is our country. Citizens must continuously engage in politics, and politicians must continuously work. Never change this order. Politics belongs to the people,” he said.
ALSO READ: Kalaburagi: ‘Vartha Bharati’ Kalyana Karnataka edition launched
Quoting writer P. Lankesh, Prakash Raj said newspapers, media, artists, and citizens must act as a permanent opposition. “They must be the voice of the people without seeking the patronage of the ruling party. Only then can they work fearlessly,” he said. He stressed the need to clearly tell today’s society who must engage in politics.
Referring to regional imbalance, he said Karnataka has become Bengaluru-centric and confined largely to southern Karnataka. With Vartha Bharati entering the Kalyana Karnataka region, he said the newspaper must contribute to the region’s development by consistently reporting its issues with a strong voice.
Prakash Raj also spoke about the role of independent media, saying that anyone can be swept away in a flood, including dead fish, but to swim against the current requires life. “Independent media have that life. Ravish Kumar, The Wire, and Vartha Bharati have the courage to swim against the flood,” he said.
He warned that fear strengthens authoritarianism. “If we are not afraid, they will be afraid,” he said, alleging that institutions such as the police, Election Commission, courts, and media are being pressured, silenced, and manipulated for political benefit. Expressing concern over the denial of bail to Umar Khalid, he said there is a visible lack of conscience in institutions meant to deliver justice to the people.
Recalling the early years after Independence, Prakash Raj said there was once fear of the police but also faith in the judiciary. “There was confidence that injustice would be addressed in court. Today, that faith no longer exists,” he said. He alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party are responsible for the present situation.
Using a metaphor, he said India is like a pond disturbed by a demon within it. “A lotus blooms on the surface, that is the BJP. We are fighting the lotus, but the real fight should be against the RSS, the root power beneath,” he said.
Drawing parallels with past global authoritarian regimes, he said leaders like Hitler and Mussolini headed political parties and could be defeated electorally. “The RSS is not a political party. Defeating the BJP alone is not enough. The roots must be uprooted,” he said, adding that despite changes in appearance, the ideological growth remains unchanged.
Prakash Raj also raised concerns over Hindi imposition, delimitation, and what he described as political oppression of southern states such as Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh in the name of elections. He said people must recognise who is responsible for this oppression and understand the role of newspapers like Vartha Bharati in identifying and exposing it.
The event also marked the formal launch of Vartha Bharati's Kalyana Karnataka edition in Kalaburagi.
