Pramesh S Jain
The Karnataka government has directed all officials to promptly respond to phone calls made by elected representatives,including MLAs, MLCs,Members of Parliament and Rajya Sabha members.
In a circular issued by Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh, the government said it has come to its notice that some officials are not answering calls made by public representatives or are failing to return calls even when they are unable to respond immediately due to official engagements.
The directive follows a letter from the Chairman of the Karnataka Legislative Council dated December 16,2025, highlighting concerns that people from various parts of the state approach their elected representatives to resolve grievances,which often requires the representatives to contact concerned government officials.
The circular noted that in several instances officials did not receive such calls or failed to call back later as a matter of courtesy,causing inconvenience in addressing public grievances.
To address the issue,the government has instructed all officers to keep the contact numbers of MLAs,MLCs, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members readily available.
Officials have also been asked to answer calls from public representatives or return the call once they are free if they are engaged in other urgent duties.
The Chief Secretary has further directed that these instructions be communicated to staff members in the officers’respective offices to ensure proper compliance.
