Citizens’ Charter Bill introduced in Lok Sabha

Mangalore Today / CNN IBN

New Delhi, dec 20 : Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) V Narayanswamy on Tuesday introduced the Citizens’ Charter Bill in the Lok Sabha. The Bill was cleared by the Union Cabinet earlier this month.

The bill will spell out a citizens’ charter containing a category of goods and services to be delivered in a time-bound manner and setting up a public grievance redressal panel.

 

 

The government had proposed the Citizens’ Charter in the Lokpal Bill in response to Team Anna’s demands. Team Anna had criticised the government for bringing this charter outside Lokpal.

The main points of the bill are:

Right to service: every citizen shall have the right to time bound delivery of goods and provision for services and redressal of grievances.

Obligations on public authority: Obligation of public authority to publish citizens charter specifying the category of goods supplied and services rendered by it, the time within which such goods shall be supplied or services be rendered.

Grievance Redress Officer: Appointment and obligations of grievance redress officers, including for each municipality and panchayat. The Grievance Redress Officer shall provide all necessary assistance to citizens in filing complaints.

Central Public Grievance Redressal Commission: proceedings before central commission to be judicial proceedings under Indian Penal Code (IPC) .

Team Anna has been demanding that the Judiciary, the Citizens’ Charter and a Grievance Redressal mechanism be brought under the Lokpal but the government has been in favour of having a separate law on it.

Earlier, the Union Cabinet along with the Citizen’s Charter Bill also cleared Judicial Accountability Bill and the Public Interest Disclosure and Protection to Persons Making the Disclosures Bill (Whistleblower’s Bill).