citizen charter

Ø       What is a Citizen’s Charter?

 Citizen’s Charter is a document which represents a systematic effort to focus on the commitment of the Organisation towards its Citizens in respects of Standard of Services, Information, Choice and Consultation, Non-discrimination and Accessibility, Grievance Redress, Courtesy and Value for Money.  This also includes expectations of the Organisation from the Citizen for fulfilling the commitment of the Organisation.

Ø      Who is a ‘Citizen’ with reference to Citizen’s Charter?

 The term ‘Citizen’ in the Citizen’s Charter implies the clients or customers whose interests and values are addressed by the Citizen’s Charter and, therefore, includes not only the citizens but also all the stakeholders, i.e., citizens, customers, clients, users, beneficiaries, other Ministries/ Departments/ Organisations, State Governments, UT Administrations etc.

Ø      Whether Ministries/ Departments/ Agencies of State Governments and UT Administrations are also required to formulate Citizen’s Charters?

 Citizen’s Charter initiative not only covers the Central Government Ministries/ Departments/ Organisations but also the Departments/ Agencies of State Governments and UT Administrations.  Various Departments/ Agencies of many State Governments and UT Administrations have brought out their Charters.  More than 600 Citizen’s Charters have so far been issued by Agencies/ Organisations of 24 States/ Union Territories. 

  

Ø      Whether Citizen’s Charter is legally enforceable?

 No.   The Citizen’s Charter is not legally enforceable and, therefore, is non-justiciable.  However, it is a tool for facilitating the delivery of services to citizens with specified standards, quality and time frame etc. with commitments from the Organisation and its clients. 

 Ø      What is the role of Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances in Citizen’s Charter Initiative in the Government?

 Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances in Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Government of India, in its efforts to provide more responsive and citizen-friendly governance, coordinates the efforts to formulate and operationalise Citizen’s Charters in Central Government, State Governments and UT Administrations.   It provides guidelines for formulation and implementation of the Charters as well as their evaluation.