There should be a specific time limit within which delivery of public services rendered by the Government to its citizens should take place. Since the actual delivery takes place through the public servants, there are statutory provisions for doing it compulsorily and about it furnishing the requisite periodic information too. In the year 2011 , Jammu and Kashmir Public Servicers Guarantee Act was enacted to make the entire mechanism truly transparent and enforce accountability in the absence of which, the implementation would be deemed optional and the very purpose defeated. The specific Rules framed in this respect to make it enforceable include matters and information incidental to the crux of the Act which include furnishing monthly reports on its implementation. The importance of this Act lay in recognising the right of a Citizen of Jammu and Kashmir to access to and receive public services within a specific time limit . Not only that, it should be quite transparent too . Since the tools of actual delivery are the employees in public departments, the onus of delivery fairly rests on them and the designated officer is to be held accountable for any deficiency or lapses in the delivery of public services. Transparency , cogency and time limit are the main ingredients of the Public Services Guarantee Act.
Since the entire subject is, in its own way, assuming much importance , the Government as such can issue periodic directions in respect of the implementation process , superintendence of the cases filed under the Act as also for inspection of the offices of the First Appellate Authority, Second Appellate Authority , Revision(al) Authority and Disbursing officers and the like. Any services could be added to the list or any one excluded as provided for under the Rules which exercise is to be undertaken after every six months by the Government . Rule 17 occupies the centre stage in that, among other requirements, it deals with submitting of monthly reports by all concerned departments in respect of implementation.
Not only is providing public services mandatory in accordance with the said Act but submitting periodic information and relevant details incidental to the Act like implementation etc on monthly basis also is equally important. However, it does not auger well with majority of the UT Government departments in not regularly submitting monthly information about the implementation of the PSG Act. Not only that, many departments have gone into arrears in respect of submission of the monthly information and reports for the months of February to May 2021 are pending as those have not been furnished by most of the departments. It is just a fact that the compiling department of all such information in respect of progress made in implementation of PSGA , in disposal of applications received from the public , complaints received and other parameters cannot be made in absence of the requisite monthly information . It also acts the other way as the Government has not been in a position to review the number of services notified for any of them deserving to be deleted or any one more to be added . Definite Rules having already been framed in this regard leave no scope for skipping such vital information. On the second front, related to the said Act is about websites of many departments not having Citizens’ Charter and not therefore updating the websites even after Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) having been duly issued a few months back. It is beyond comprehension as to how despite instructions from the General Administration Department, such non compliance can be afforded to be made . Publishing Citizens Charter invariably in the respective websites of the UT departments by 20th of this month has been asked for to be strictly adhered to.
How the ‘serious note’ taken by the administration and latest ” instructions ” issued about post implementation process and posting Citizens’ Charter on the respective websites of the UT departments are ”seriously ” taken by the defaulting departments, can be seen by June 20 , 2021- the deadline given by the administration in this respect. Hopefully , not only the arrears would be cleared but regular submission of monthly information made a routine and not an irregular exercise.
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