Dr JP Hails Bill For Right To Speedy Service

Lok Satta Party national President Dr Jayaprakash Narayan on Thursday expressed supreme happiness over the Union Cabinet's approval of a bill to provide time-bound services to citizens.

The Right of Citizens to Time-Bound Delivery of Goods and Services and Redressal of their Grievances Bill provides for time-bound delivery of services like pensions, passports, ration cards, and caste, birth and death certificates, to citizens. Defaults will attract a penalty of Rs. 250 a day, subject to a maximum of Rs. 50,000.

Describing the Bill as the culmination of efforts by the Lok Satta party for 15 long years, Dr. JP said that the measure is much more revolutionary than the Right To Information Act, and and the constitution of Lokpals and Lokayuktas, in that it totally transforms the relationship between the citizen and the public servant.

In a media statement, Dr. JP recalled that the Lok Satta had embarked on the mission to ensure services to citizens as a matter of right way back on 2 October 1998. On that day, the Lok Satta had submitted a People's Charter to the then Governor C Rangarajan seeking the delivery of 36 services in a time-bound manner. Following its efforts, the state government in 2001 ushered in a citizen's charter regarding five services in municipalities, and implemented it for some time.

Dr. JP pointed out that the right to services has been the No. 1 demand of the Lok Satta Party's Surajya movement launched in August 2012. It may be recalled that Dr. JP had observed a three-day fast in December 2012 for Surajya, and had enlisted the support and solidarity of almost all parties.

As a follow-up, a Lok Satta delegation appeared before the Parliamentary Committee and requested it to adopt a Bill on citizens' services. The committee requested it to draft the Bill bringing about convergence between delivery of normal and electronic services. The Lok Satta drafted the Bill and submitted it to the Parliamentary Committee and the Union Government. Dr. JP met the Union Law Minister last month and requested him to ensure its introduction in Parliament.

Dr. JP appealed to all parties to ensure that the Bill is applicable to both the Union and state governments. In fact, most of the services pertain to state and local governments, he underlined. (INN)