The Madhya Pradesh Public Services Guarantee Bill, 2010, which makes it mandatory for government functionaries to provide public services to the people within a fixed time-frame, was passed by the state Assembly on Friday — the concluding day of the Monsoon Session.
Speaking in support of the bill, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan described it as historic and said it is for the first time in the country that any government has tried to enact a law to guarantee public services to the people. Barring some “ifs and buts”, members cutting across party lines, including the deputy Leader of the Opposition Chaudhary Rakesh Singh Chaturvedi supported the bill and praised the chief minister for his initiative in this direction. Congress MLA Ramnivas Rawat said it will turn into a revolutionary act.
Stating that it was a historic moment, Mr Chouhan said the Citizens’ Charter is in the background of the whole idea of enacting a special act to guarantee public services. The bill has not been brought before the House in a hurry, he said adding that the announcement to convert the Citizens’ Charter into an act was made at an all party forum attended even by the state Congress president Suresh Pachouri. At its special session on development earlier this year, the state Assembly had also passed a resolution in this regard, he added.
About the Citizen’s Charter, he said, it spells out a lot but has no provision to fix responsibility or punish officers for lack of action. The chief minister said that the present bill is perhaps the first initiative of its kind in the world. Good governance is essential for speedy progress and development and this has to be ensured within the framework of democracy, which has no better alternative, the chief minister said but at the same time went on to cite the example of China saying projects that get completed within a year in that country take almost a decade for completion here. The MP Public Services Guarantee Act, Mr Chouhan said, will start a debate all over the country and other states are bound to follow.
Throwing light on the letter and spirit of bill, he said that it gives the powers of a civil court to the appellate authorities and this has been done to give teeth to the act. For each day’s delay beyond the fixed time frame for providing public services, the punishment will be Rs 250. The maximum punishment will be Rs 5,000. In case of punishment, the money collected from the erring officer would go to the citizen concerned, the chief minister told the House adding there will also be provision for disciplinary action. The public services to be provided under this bill shall be notified.