Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers took a decision to this effect on Thursday and sent a letter to this effect to the ministry asking to collect the names of such centers from district administration offices. [break]
“The move has been taken in view of the people´s demand for such centers," said a source known to the development, seeking anonymity.
This is the first attempt of the government to set up the unified service centers after such efforts by then Maoist-led government failed due to politically-motivated protests in the Tarai districts in 2009. Then the government had withdrawn its decision to set up such service centers.
Govind Prasad Kusum, who was the home secretary at the time when the decision was taken in 2009, told Republica that the service centers are important for realizing decentralization in practice.
Government officials said they have long felt the urgency of such unified service centers in view of the fact that not all the district headquarters have been scientifically drawn and people living in far-flung places have to visit the district headquarters even for basic services.
“People living in far-flung areas will not have to walk all the way to the headquarters of their respective districts once these centers are established,” said Kusum.
While asking the Ministry of Home Affairs to recommend the possible places for establishing the service centers, the Office of the Prime Minister has laid two main criteria for choosing possible places.
First, district administration offices will have to recommend such places that are easily accessible to people from up to five village development committees. Second, the places should be so located where at least 2,000, 10,000 and 25,000 people from mountainous, hilly and Tarai district respectively from can get state services.
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