Reply to A Citizen’s Query: An Important Agenda Item for The Lawmakers of India

Reply to A Citizen’s Query: An Important Agenda Item for The Lawmakers of India

This will surely be more effective than Right to Information Act

Do you want to change India’s Pace of Growth, Development and Reputation? Do you wonder where to start from? Here is a great insight?

In the offices of Andhra Pradesh Government as well as those of Government of India, a reply to a citizen’s query is just optional, but not compulsory. This, I strongly feel, is the root cause of all the inefficiency, corruption and opacity widely prevalent in government systems.

A citizen writes to government departments for more than one reason. The following is an illustrative list of occasions when a citizen feels like writing to government; of course this is not an exhaustive one.

1. Seeking a job.

2. Seeking extension of a welfare scheme.

3. Seeking PDS/ hospital/health services.

4. Certificates related to property, birth, death, and marriage registration.

5. Post-retirement grievances.

6. Permissions or certificates from local authorities, local hospitals, or any public office.

7. Common amenities.

8. Complaints with police stations.

9. Matters related to commercial, income and other taxes.

10. Caste, Income, and Nativity Certificates.

In advanced countries, every letter is answered simply because both government functionaries and citizens are conscientious, sensible and honest. It is an altogether different case in India. If India has to grow and earn reputation on various international metrics of HDI, governance, ease of commencing a business etc, the key to having a commendable index is to stipulate that every letter should be answered within 15 days. This rule should better come in the form of a statute with stringent punitive provisions; the errant officer who either does not respond or delays response or gives incorrect or dishonest reply should be punished with a jail term.

When I wrote representations in 2003 and 2004, to VP Jauhari ( Principal Secretary, Agri & Coop), DK Panwar (Principal Secreatary, PE department), Dr. YS Rajasekar Reddy ( CM), Sushil Kumar Shinde( Government), Sonia Gandhi, President of India, State Human Rights Commission etc in connection with an unfair compulsory retirement inflicted on me and subsequent delay in disbursal of benefits, nobody cared to reply. The same is the case with MRO office, Uppal when I submitted application for caste and income. These personal experiences more than prove that a citizen’s query holds as much value as a strand of hair with government functionaries as well as persons of high offices.

The lawmakers shall awaken to this situation and do the needful to reverse this situation; it shall be enacted that every citizen’s letter is replied within 15 days, failing which all the functionaries till the top echelon are punished summarily.

This measure has the potential to purge this country of all corruption, opacity and lethargy. In fact, this can work more miracles than the Right to Information Act.