Inefficiency in delivering services under the Right to Public Services Act has taken a heavy toll on government employees in the past three years.

As many as 746 public servants have been found guilty of being lax in delivering services to the people under the Right to Public Services Act.

The service was launched in Bihar on August 15, 2011. It enables residents to demand services from the government and its agencies within a stipulated time frame. Failing to come through in time means officials are penalised, and so they have been.

The general administration department revealed that 746 public servants have been penalised since the act was implemented in 2011 for their laxity in providing services within the time frame concerned. Rs 86.76 lakh has been realised in penalty.

A senior official in the general administration department said: “The number of such public servants who have failed to deliver services within the stipulated time frame is rising. Modalities are being devised to make the implementation of the act more effective.”

Sources said around 7.72 crore applications for caste, income, domicile and other certificates were received at the special counters of block-level officers since August 16, 2011. The data compiled by the general administration department showed that of them, 7.62 crore applications — mostly related to caste, income and residence — were disposed of.

The Right to Public Services Act has 50 services related to home, social welfare, human resources, commercial taxes, transport, registration, food and civil supplies, urban and general administration departments under its ambit.

The official, who didn’t wish to be named, said the district magistrates have been asked to accelerate the disposal of pending cases in areas under their jurisdiction.

The general administration department official added that the government also outsourced the job to take and dispose of applications for delivery of 51 services under the act to panchayat-level vasudha kendras. This was done after a hue and cry was raised over the involvement of touts and middlemen in the implementation of the service.

Sources said intensive raids have also been carried out under Operation Dalal to arrest middlemen across Bihar. At least 300 middlemen have been caught during the raid.

Manoj Kumar Singh, a resident of Patepur in Vaishali district, although said corruption was still prevalent at the block offices.

“The middlemen can still be spotted around the centres to collect applications. They exploit gullible applicants who are in a hurry to get their certificates.”

Principal secretary, general administration, D.S. Gangwar told The Telegraph: “The popularity of the act can be gauged from the fact that over 7 crore people have been provided services under it in the past three years. We are contemplating to include some more services but a final decision is yet to be taken.”

Seven states, including Karnataka, have even approached Bihar to replicate the right to public services model.