This article is written by Kavana Rao from Symbiosis Law School, Noida. This article will give an overview of the Model Panchayat Citizen’s Charter and its importance.
Table of Contents
Introduction
“The future of India lies in its villages” is a very frequently quoted line when rural and village development is talked about. This quote by Mahatma Gandhi cannot be more apt as villages are the cell of this living and breathing dynamic country. The Panchayat Citizens Charter is a step towards improving the lives in the rural regions and addressing their grievances in an orderly manner.
The concept of the Citizens’ Charter was first articulated and implemented in the United Kingdom by the Conservative Government of Johan Major in 1991 as a national program. It is not a legally enforceable document, they are mere guidelines to enhance service delivery to its citizens. There were 6 principles of the Citizens’ Charter movement which were framed. They were:
- Quality- Improving service quality
- Choice- Wherever possible
- Standards- Specifically mention what to expect and how to go about if standards are not met
- Value- For taxpayers’ money
- Accountability- At the level of the individual and the organization.
- Transparency- Transparency is the rules/ schemes/ procedures/grievances.
The concept of the Citizens’ charter was first adopted at a ‘Conference of various States and Union Territories’ which was held in May 1997. The major result of the conference was a decision to formulate a Citizens’ Charter by the central and state governments.
The Rights of Citizens for Time Bound Delivery of Goods and Services and Redressal of their Grievances Bill, 2011 ( Citizens Charter) was introduced in the Lok Sabha in December 2011, but it lapsed due to the dissolution of the Lok Sabha in 2014.
What is a Citizen’s Charter
The Citizens’ Charter is a voluntary and written document that spells out the service provider’s efforts taken to focus on their commitment towards fulfilling the needs of the citizens/ customers.
- It safeguards the trust between the service provider and the citizens.
- It consists of what the citizens can expect out of the service provider.
- It also includes how citizens can get their problems addressed.
What is a Model Panchayat Citizen’s Charter
The Union Minister of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj released a Model Panchayat Citizens Charter recently. It is has been framed for the delivery of the services across the 29 sectors, in correspondence with the localized Sustainable Development Goals which is prepared by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) in collaboration with the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj ( NIRDPR).
It is anticipated that the Panchayats utilizing this framework, and with the approval of Gram Sabha, would draw up a Citizens Charter, detailing the different categories of services rendered to the citizen by the Panchayat, the conditions for such service, and also the time limit for such service. It will help in bringing awareness among the citizens about their rights and also to make the Panchayats and their elected representatives directly accountable to the people.
The requirement for Citizen Charter in Panchayats in India
The Panchayat forms the first level of Government and nearly 60% of the Indian population resides in the rural areas. Hence, with such a large population residing in the rural regions, Panchayats are entrusted with the delivery of basic services laid down in Article 243G of the Constitution of India, primarily the areas of drinking water, nutrition, education, and health and sanitation.
Objectives
- The primary objective of the “ Gram Panchayat Citizens Charter “ is to empower the citizens in relation to public services and improve service quality on the lines of Citizens’ expectations.
- The creation of the Charter brings in professionalism in the functioning of the Panchayat and aids in reaching out to all the sections of the community without any discrimination and the standards adopted by the Panchayats are useful yardsticks for monitoring and evaluation of service delivery.
- The Charter will provide services to the people in a timely manner, address their complaints and problems thus improving their lives.
- The Charter, on one hand, will make citizens aware of their rights, and on another, it will make the Panchayats and their elected representatives more directly accountable to the people.
Process of preparation of Gram Panchayat Citizens’ Charter
The Citizen’s Charter is to be framed for each panchayat separately. During the course of preparing the charter, the Panchayats shall discuss the various services provided to the Citizens, the conditions that citizens shall have to fulfill for getting a service, and the time limit of each service. While preparing the Charter the Panchayat must seek the views of the Panchayat Secretary and the other officers of the concerned line departments. The Charter can consist of only those services that are delivered by the Panchayat on a regular basis. Alongside, the Panchayat should also decide the fee leviable for particular services.
The Gram Panchayat Citizen’s Charter must contain the following information.
I . Vision and mission of the Panchayat
The first key component of the Citizens’ charter is a clear statement of Panchayat’s “Vision and Mission”. The vision implies the ultimate direction in which the Panchayat seeks to move in. The Mission statement gives the specific objectives which drive the Panchayat in tune with the vision.
II. Service Standards/ Procedure for obtaining services
To obtain a service mentioned in the Charter, an eligible citizen must submit an application to the authorised official together with the required documentation and pay any applicable fees. The designated officer on receiving the receipt of the request, shall record the details in a register and assign a serial number and provide an acknowledgement to the applicant indicating the probable date by which the service will be rendered. The designated officer is obligated to render a service to the eligible applicant within the given time. On receiving the application he/she shall within the stipulated period either provide service or reject and in case the application is rejected, the reasons for not providing services shall be intimated in writing.
These are the required information needed to be provided under service standards.
- Name of the service.
- Details of the service (including beneficiaries and eligible persons).
- The time frame required to deliver the service.
- Name and contact details of the person in the Panchayat responsible for providing the service.
III. Grievance redressal
The Sarpanch and the Panchyat Secretary must be accessible to the citizens to listen to their grievances and make arrangements to address the complaint effectively. Timely redressal of the complaints not only reduces dissatisfaction but also helps Panchayat to improve its functioning. If the citizen feels that the Panchayat was not able to provide a service, then he can file an appeal before the designated higher authority about the same. The contact details of the higher authority must also be included in the Charter.
Importance
- The Charter would ensure transparent and effective delivery of public services for sustainable development.
- It would ensure improved citizen service experiences.
- It would deepen inclusive and accountable Local Self Governments by incorporating diverse views while designing and delivering services.
- Bringing awareness among the citizens of their rights on one hand, and to make the Panchayats and their elected representatives directly accountable to the people, on the other hand.
- Provide services to the people in a time-bound manner redressing their grievances and improving their lives.
Conclusion
To conclude, in order to uplift the villages of India such frameworks are necessary. Villages not only need improvement in the areas of education, sanitation, and infrastructure but also their other concerns or complaints must also be looked into, therefore with the Model Panchayat Citizen Charter, not only ensures that the services are delivered on time but also ensures that their complaints and grievances are addressed in a timely manner.
References
- 04 June 2021 Model Citizen Charter for Panchayats
- Model Panchayat Citizens Charter – Key Highlights for Competitive Exams
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