Lucknow: The Yogi government has taken a significant step towards making revenue-related services more accessible, transparent, and citizen-friendly in rural areas. In accordance with the vision of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the regular presence of Lekhpals at Gram Secretariats will now be ensured across every district of Uttar Pradesh.
The Revenue Board has issued instructions to all District Magistrates in this regard, directing them to prepare attendance rosters and implement the new system from July 1.
Kanchan Verma, Commissioner and Secretary of the Revenue Board, said, "Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has consistently emphasized strengthening good governance, transparency, and doorstep delivery of public services at the village level. In line with this vision, it has been decided to ensure the regular presence of Lekhpals at Gram Secretariats in every district."
She explained that Gram Secretariats were established in Gram Panchayats with the objective of providing services from multiple departments at a single location. In accordance with earlier directives issued by the Panchayati Raj Department, officials from various departments are already assigned to these secretariats. The arrangement will now be strengthened further by ensuring the regular attendance of Lekhpals, enabling the prompt disposal of revenue-related matters.
It is noteworthy that the online services provided by Panchayat Assistants through Gram Secretariats include several key services of the Revenue Department, such as issuance of income certificates, caste certificates, domicile certificates, status certificates, certified copies of Khatauni (land records), and nearly ten other important citizen services.
Since Lekhpals play a vital role in the timely processing of these services, their regular availability at Gram Secretariats will significantly reduce the need for villagers to make repeated visits to tehsil offices.
The Revenue Board also clarified in its communication that the responsibilities of Lekhpals extend far beyond certificate-related work. They serve as a crucial link in the administrative system and perform a wide range of important duties, including participation in Tehsil Day and Police Commemoration Day proceedings, inheritance (Varasat) cases, implementation of the SVAMITVA Yojana, verification under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, relief and rehabilitation activities, disaster management, settlement of land disputes, agricultural census, population census, crop surveys, reporting of natural disasters, investigation of illegal encroachments, mining-related verification, verification under the Public Distribution System, and inspections of paddy and wheat procurement centres.
In addition, the implementation of various government schemes across departments also depends on reports and verifications submitted by Lekhpals.
However, due to the absence of a fixed arrangement for Lekhpals to sit at the Gram Panchayat level, villagers often faced considerable inconvenience. Many residents had to visit tehsil offices or other locations multiple times just to meet the concerned Lekhpal, resulting in unnecessary expenditure of both time and money. To address this issue, the government has now decided to prepare district-wise rosters to ensure the regular presence of Lekhpals at Gram Secretariats.
The Revenue Board has instructed all District Magistrates to make appropriate arrangements for seating Lekhpals at Gram Secretariats in their respective districts and to prepare attendance rosters accordingly. The new system will come into force from July 1.
With the implementation of this initiative, Gram Secretariats will evolve into "One Stop Service Centers" for rural citizens. The move will not only provide significant relief to villagers but also make the functioning of the Revenue Department more accountable, transparent, and efficient.
