Pune: Nearly a decade after Maharashtra Right to Public Services (RTS) Act, 2015 came into force, its effective implementation continues to be hampered due to non-integration of 99 notified services with the state’s one-stop ‘Aaple Sarkar’ portal. Citizen activists said this gap has left the law largely “on paper,” with departments bypassing the mechanism meant to ensure time-bound, transparent delivery of services. Of the 1,096 services notified under RTS Act, only 997 are integrated with Aaple Sarkar portal from 38 departments. The remaining services — several of them under urban local bodies such as Pune and Mumbai municipal corporations — continue to function through their own grievance redressal systems, outside the unified platform. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday directed officials to expand the portal’s scope under Aaple Sarkar 2.0, making it citizen-friendly and operational by Oct 2. “Now, we are guaranteeing services only under RTS Act. Henceforth, the benefits of schemes should also be guaranteed to citizens based on eligibility criteria,” he said. Fadnavis stressed that all departmental portals and apps must be merged into a single, integrated system. “Citizens should be informed about every stage of application online. Responses, feedback, and even complaints must be addressed through the same platform. Columns in applications and the number of documents sought should also be reduced,” he added, citing technology as the key to improving “ease of living” and governance. “Unless all services are integrated with the common portal and timelines are strictly followed, this is a pointless effort,” said Mohini Wagh, a citizen activist. Officials from RTS commissioner’s office said efforts are on to bring local bodies under the unified platform but admitted technical hurdles have delayed the process. “There are software issues with municipal portals, but integration has been fast-tracked,” a senior official said. “The RTS Act is not as strong as the Right to Information Act. The Regulation of Transfers and Prevention of Delay in Discharge of Official Duties Act is even more powerful,” said an activist, adding that poor citizen awareness and patchy service delivery defeat the very purpose of the portal. Many even complain about the portal not being citizen-friendly.
