QUES . Citizen’s charter has been envisaged as a tool to empower the citizens, however it has failed in its intended objectives. Discuss and suggest ways to improve citizen’s charter.

RELEVANCE : GS MAINS PAPER IV ; TOPIC : Citizen’s Charters

GS MAINS PAPER II ; TOPIC : Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance- applications, models, successes, limitations, and potential; citizens charters, transparency & accountability and institutional and other measures.

HINTS:

Citizens’ Charters initiative is a response to the mission for solving the problems which a citizen meets, day in and day out, while dealing with the organisations providing public services. The charter is the declaration of commitment to superiority in service to customers of the department.

The citizen charter declares the standards for various services offered. It includes expectations of the Organisation from the Citizens for fulfilling its commitment.

Importance of Citizen’s Charter

● To make administration accountable and citizen friendly.

● To ensure transparency.

● To take measures to improve customer service.

● To adopt a stakeholder approach.

● To save time of both Administration and the citizen.

Objective of the Citizens’ Charter

The Fundamental Goal of Citizens’ Charter is to empower the citizen in relation to public service delivery.

Principles of the Citizens’ Charter

Six principles of the Citizens’ Charter movement as originally framed were:

a. Quality: Improving the quality of services

b. Choice: Wherever possible

c. Standards: Specify what to expect and how to act if standards are not met

d. Value: For the taxpayers’ money

e. Accountability: Individuals and Organisations

f. Transparency: Rules/ Procedures/ Schemes/Grievances

Shortcomings of Citizens’ Charter in India

● Devoid of participative mechanisms: in a majority of cases, not formulated through a consultative process with cutting edge staff who will finally implement it.

● Poor design and content: lack of meaningful and succinct Citizens’ Charter, absence of critical information that end-users need to hold agencies accountable.

● Lack of public awareness: only a small percentage of end-users are aware of the commitments made in the CC since effective efforts of communicating and educating the public about the standards of delivery promise have not been undertaken.

● Charters are rarely updated: making it a one-time exercise, frozen in time.

● End-users, Civil society organizations and NGOs are not consulted when Citizens’ Charter are drafted: Since a Citizens’ Charter primary purpose is to make public service delivery more citizen centric, consultation with stakeholders is a must.

● Measurable standards of delivery are rarely defined: making it difficult to assess whether the desired level of service has been achieved or not.

● Little interest shown by the organizations in adhering to their Citizens’ Charter : since there is no citizen friendly mechanism to compensate the citizen if the organization defaults.

●Tendency to have a uniform Citizens’ Charter for all offices under the parent organization: Citizens’ Charter have still not been adopted by all Ministries/Departments. This overlooks local issues.

Reforming Citizen Charter to make them Effective

● One size does not fit all: formulation of should be a decentralized activity with the head office providing only broad guidelines.

● Wide consultation process: Citizens’ Charter be formulated after extensive consultations within the organization followed by a meaningful dialogue with civil society.

● Firm commitments to be made: Citizens’ Charter must be precise and make firm commitments of service delivery standards to the citizens/consumers in quantifiable terms wherever possible.

● Redressal mechanism in case of default: clearly lay down the relief which the organization is bound to provide if it has defaulted on the promised standards of delivery.

● Periodic evaluation of Citizens’ Charter : preferably through an external agency.

● Hold officers accountable for results: fix specific responsibility in cases where there is a default in adhering to the Citizens’ Charter .

● Include Civil Society in the process: to assist in improvement in the contents of the Charter, its adherence as well as educating the citizens about the importance of this vital mechanism.

Way Forward

A Citizens’ Charter cannot be an end in itself, it is rather a means to an end – a tool to ensure that the citizen is always at the heart of any service delivery mechanism. Drawing from best practice models such as the Sevottam Model (a Service Delivery Excellence Model) can help Citizens’ Charter in becoming more citizen centric.