Corruption is one of the most serious problems being faced by India today. Though corruption pervades almost every society, and no country or state can claim to be perfectly free from this malady, the magnitude and gravity it has attained in India is perhaps unrivalled and unparalleled. No field of public life is free from it, and it is more a rule than an exception. The worst part of the story is that is has become a way of life with the people and they have learnt to live with it. It neither pricks their conscience, nor hurts their sentiments. They accept it as routine and fall a prey to the temptation of giving or taking bribe without any scruple. India tops the list for black money in the entire world with almost $ 1.4 trillion in Swiss banks in the form of black money.
According to the data provided by the Swiss Banking Association Report (2006), India has more black money than the rest of the world combined. In 2010, India was ranked 87th out of 178 countries in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index.
When the whole nation is crying for the Jan Lok Pal Bill, the enactment of Right to Service Act-2011 by the Punjab Legislative Assembly is a highly welcome step, and it will start a new chapter in the history of the state. It will definitely put a barricade on the high-handedness of the bureaucracy, and people will get a sigh of relief from the daily harassment being caused to them in almost all offices of the state.
Day in and day out, we read horrible stories of corruption taking place at various levels. Right from obtaining the birth certificate of a child and getting death certificates, one has to grease the palm of the officials concerned. No file in the office moves until the wheels of money are put under it.
To be true, only that official or employee is honest who has no public dealing, or who is not offered any bribe. The deputy chief minister of the state -- the brain behind the act -- is very right when he says that the Act will be an example before the whole nation, and it should have been introduced immediately after Independence. It will surely make procedures simple and transparent, reduce the discretionary powers of officers that lead to delay and corruption, and will fix accountability. Without an iota of doubt, it is a right step at a right time in the right direction.
This act, at present, includes 67 citizen-centric services for which time-bound delivery is to be ensured. These services include municipal services like water and sewerage connections and sanction of building plans, police services like passport verification and permission to use loud speakers, issue of various certificates like caste certificate, income certificate and residence certificate, transport services like registration of vehicles and issuance of driving licenses and home services.
The act ensures the appointment of designated officers responsible for the provision of the services. In case of non-compliance, a citizen can submit a complaint before the appellate authorities at two levels, and then approach the Punjab Administrative Reforms Commission, which will be an independent statutory body. The person responsible for any delay could face penalty from Rs 500 to Rs 5,000 besides departmental action.
The whole globe is now in the process of implementing the concept of corporate governance and the same can be applied effectively to the governance of the state too. There is no denying the fact that states cannot be governed without framing the governance codes and parameters. Transparency and accountability are the cornerstone of corporate governance, and state governance is no exception to it.
The enactment of the Right to Service Act is primarily focused on the above two parameters aimed at ensuring the timely and transparent delivery of services to common citizens. However, the effective implementation of the act requires sincere participation of common citizens.
We must remember that people accept bribes only when we pay bribes and pay these for breaking rules, for getting something done which is not legal, or for getting certain priorities. It is true that people have to suffer for their legitimate dues too, because of the variety of malpractices, but the act will reduce them to a great extent.
It is the social responsibility of the common citizens that they should contact the right persons for the right jobs in a proper time-frame so that their jobs can be executed well in time. The concept of responsible citizenship is a must for the effective implementation of the act, and without sincere public participation, it will merely be a piece of legislation.
The responsibility of the government increases manifold after the enactment of this legislation. The effective implementation requires not only strong political will, but also awareness regarding the act among the masses.
The salient features of the act must be put on the bulletin boards in all government offices in three languages -- Punjabi, Hindi and English -- so that the people can have an easy access to such information while visiting these offices. The government should also use the services of its Public Relations Department for creating awareness about the same. The government has to ensure adequate infrastructure and manpower in its every department for the effective implementation of the act.
Every government office must have a signboard on its entrance where the words ‘We are here to serve you\' must be written so that every officer going to his/her office must have a psychological feeling that it is his/her duty to serve the public, and the people may also develop the same feeling that while serving them, they are not doing any favour but they are performing their duty.
The concept of dedicated service will bring the public to the offices without any middlemen or agents. It may be concluded that the enactment of this Act is a good beginning and many more services, may be included in it in the times to come. This act of the government truly reflects the concept of democratic government as given by Lincoln which says it is the government of the people, for the people and by the people.
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Prinicpal, D.S. ubha, (Courtesy Dailypost, October 12, 2011),
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