Latest update April 18th, 2024 12:59 AM
Mar 10, 2013 Editorial
India has an unenviable reputation for sloth and corruption in the delivery of government service. The term ‘red-tape’ might have been invented by the bureaucrats in England but it was taken to its ultimate labyrinthine dead-end in its then colony of India. Independence did not do much to cut the Gordian knot but corruption became endemic to loosen it up a bit. Woe be it to the bold individual or company attempting to secure a service but without the funds to grease the ‘invisible hand’ under the table. India, in addition to its twin, Pakistan, was routinely listed as among the most corrupt and inefficient provider of services on the planet.
Starting two years ago, however, reacting to the rising crescendo of criticism from the growing middle class created by its economic success, several states, beginning with Madhya Pradesh in 2010, began introducing “Right to Public Services” legislation. Basically, this comprises of statutory laws which guarantee time bound delivery of services for various public services rendered by the Government to citizen and provides mechanism for punishing the errant public servant who is deficient in providing the service stipulated under the statute.
Finally, last week the central, federal government Cabinet, decided it had better follow suit and the Cabinet under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh approved the ”Right of Citizens for Time Bound Delivery of Goods and Services and Redressal of their Grievances Bill, 2011″. It would provide time-bound delivery of services like passports, pensions and birth and death certificates, land and property records among others, to citizens.
As with the State enactments, the major innovation of the bill envisages penalty of up to Rs. 50,000 (US$1000) against any government official failing to provide his or her duties. It lays down an obligation upon every public authority to publish citizen’s charter, stating the time within which specified goods shall be supplied and services be rendered and provides for a grievance redressal mechanism for non-compliance of its provisions. The appellate authorities has been granted certain powers of a Civil Court while trying a suit under the Code of Civil Procedure, like production of documents and issuance of summon to the Designated officers and appellants.
The public services which are to be granted as a right under the legislations are generally notified separately through Gazette notification.
The proposed legislation, spearheaded by Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, also mandates a public authority to establish a call centre, customer care centre, help desk and people’s support system to ensure time-bound delivery of services. It also seeks establishment of public grievance redressal commissions at the Centre and in every State.
According to its provisions, a person aggrieved by the decision of the commission may prefer an appeal before the Ombudsman at the Centre (in case of decision by the Centre’s public grievances redressal commission) and the Ombudsmen in the States. There are Appellate authorities at state and federal levels to handle all disputes. All services provided by both the Centre and the State governments will be extended to citizens in a time-bound manner under the bill.
In Guyana, we have also been saddled with an inefficient and corrupt system in the provision of public services, such as in obtaining transports. Just as in India, the corruption has percolated into higher reaches of governmental officialdom. This has been acknowledged by the President in the awarding of and performance on contracts. While the Right To Public Services Legislation might address official corruption and laxity at the bottom, we have to start somewhere.
We have also been engaged in a war of attrition between the Public Service Union and the government for increased wages for Public Servants, which has not gained much sympathy among the populace.
It is quite possible that if the general public receives a higher and less costly provision of services, which is their right to begin with, they might look more favourably to calls for higher remuneration. The time-bound public services would also offer a metric to measure efficiency of the Public Service.
JAGDEO ADDING MORE DANGER TO GUYANA AND THE REGION
Apr 18, 2024
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