Union cabinet approves citizen’s charter bill
8 March 2013 6:37 AM IST
The union cabinet on Thursday approved the Right of Citizens for Time-Bound Delivery of Goods and Services and Redressal of their Grievances Bill, 2011. The bill seeks to provide time bound delivery of services like passport, birth and caste certificates among other documents. According to the bill, any failure by a government official in delivery of services will invite a penalty of Rs. 250 per day, subject to a maximum of Rs. 50,000.
The BJP, however, vehemently opposed the move by the government and said this bill is an attack on the federal structure and once passed by Parliament it will be binding on state governments. ‘The cabinet has given its nod to the Citizen’s Charter Bill for central services, but they have mandated and thrust this on the states also. This has been put in the Concurrent List but is an encroachment on state laws,’ said BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar. He said currently more than 10 states have already put in place their own citizen’s charters. ‘We demand the Centre should enact a citizen’s charter for central services only at the most, it can pass a model law which states can follow while passing their own law,’ said Javadekar.
The bill puts an obligation upon every public authority to publish citizen’s charter, stating therein 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 BJP, however, vehemently opposed the move by the government and said this bill is an attack on the federal structure and once passed by Parliament it will be binding on state governments. ‘The cabinet has given its nod to the Citizen’s Charter Bill for central services, but they have mandated and thrust this on the states also. This has been put in the Concurrent List but is an encroachment on state laws,’ said BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar. He said currently more than 10 states have already put in place their own citizen’s charters. ‘We demand the Centre should enact a citizen’s charter for central services only at the most, it can pass a model law which states can follow while passing their own law,’ said Javadekar.
The bill puts an obligation upon every public authority to publish citizen’s charter, stating therein 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.
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