Jigmi Wangdi

The government has allocated Nu 600 million to enhance public service delivery in the 13th Plan, which includes Nu 77 million for community service centres (CSCs).

Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay said this in a written response to a query raised by Nanong-Shumar Member of Parliament (MP) Yeshey Jamtsho in the National Assembly.

MP Yeshey Jamtsho questioned on the status and operational challenges of CSCs such as unstaffed centres, pending staff transfers, defunct equipment, insufficient training programmes for CSCs staff, and suspension of banking services.

To address these issues, Lyonchhen expressed that the government has transferred the ownership of CSCs to local governments. This shift aims to refocus the centres on delivering core G2C services and improve their efficiency.

Ensuring a caring and citizen-centric service has been a priority for the government, Lyonchhen said. “We are determined in our efforts to improve public service delivery, and achieve a satisfaction rating of 4.5 out of 5 at the end of the 13th Plan.”

The CSCs can play an important role in promoting inclusivity and ensuring effective delivery of public services at the grassroots.

A study on the review of CSCs operations found that CSCs were more aligned towards banking services and non-government-to-citizen services over providing actual delivery of public services.

The 203 CSCs, initially managed by Bhutan Postal Corporation Limited, were later managed by the Bhutan Development Bank Limited (BDBL) and then to the erstwhile National Cottage and Small Industry Bank Limited (NCSIDBL) in 2020. Following the amalgamation of NCSIBDL with BDBL, BDBL took over its management in 2023.

Later in June 2024, after the Cabinet’s decision, CSCs were formally handed over to the local governments. This refocused their mandate on citizen centric public service delivery at community level. 

There are currently 183 CSCs in operation with 23 vacant.

Lyonchhen said that a working group comprising officials from the cabinet secretariat, finance ministry, and home affairs ministry is preparing a comprehensive proposal to resolve these staffing issues, covering job descriptions, service conditions, and other aspects.

He added that the cabinet secretariat is in the process of developing a comprehensive training module for all the frontline officials who have direct interface with the public.

This will include all Government-to-Citizen (G2C) services along with other services such as GovBiz (Government-to-Business) services, thromde and offline government services. 

Addressing the issue of banking services, Lyonchhen clarified that banking operations now fall outside the purview of CSCs, as financial institutions operate independently from government entities. “CSCs will no longer provide banking services, their core focus will remain on delivering G2C services.”

To further strengthen public service delivery, the cabinet secretariat in collaboration with the GovTech Agency is developing a public service blueprint that integrates system designs, delivery frameworks, and service processes.