The name has been given to the Seva Setu Abhiyan.
The main objective of this camp is to ensure that the common man does not have to go to the office door repeatedly to get the benefits of various government projects. Forms for various projects can be collected directly by coming to the camp. Government officials will also help in submitting the necessary information and documents. As a result, there will be an opportunity to apply for multiple services from one place.
It is learnt that a total of 20 central public welfare project benefits will be worked on in this year's public welfare camp. These include schemes like Annapurna Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Shikshashri, Joy Johar, PM Kisan Credit Card and PM Kisan Svanidhi. Those who have not yet applied for these schemes will get the opportunity to apply anew by visiting the camps.
To further spread this service in Kolkata, arrangements have been made to open a special assistance camp centered around two wards. The camp will be open from 10 am to 5 pm every day. Officials from various government departments will be present there to provide necessary information to the applicants and help them fill the forms. In addition, there are plans to set up counters by some banks. Preparations have also been made in advance to manage the crowd at the camp. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation has informed Lalbazar to arrange additional police security at each center. Administrative sources say that this arrangement is because the crowd may increase due to the submission of applications for various projects for three days.
A section of municipal workers fear that there may be additional pressure around the application for Annapurna Yojana in particular. It is expected that many people may come to the camps to fill the forms for this project. Therefore, special attention has been paid to ensure that there is no long wait at the relevant counters and that the application process is completed smoothly.
MLAs have also been instructed to use them to spread the news of the camps to the people in different areas of the state. Emphasis is being placed on publicity so that the common people can know about the camps in their area in advance and reach there with the necessary documents. With elections coming up in several municipalities in the state including Kolkata and Howrah, discussions have also started on the political importance of this program. However, the administration has presented it as an initiative to bring the benefits of government projects to the people.
In all, this special service camp is going to be held in different parts of the state for three days from Friday. Since there is an opportunity to apply for multiple projects and get government assistance at the same place, it may become important for the common people. However, it remains to be seen how much the crowd can be handled in the camps and how quickly the applicants get services.