Citizen’s Charter a Mechanism for Accountability: An Analysis of India Conditions

Abstract

The initiatives of Citizen’s Charter are an effort in solving citizen’s problems that they encounter regularly over a long time while dealing with the government or any other organizations. It is a document of an official statement that ensures the accountability of the organization and their commitment towards the citizen in providing the quality of service. The charter aimed to revolutionize public service by empowering the people who were so long regarded as a silent spectator and a mere receiver on the government policies and programmes. In a democratic country, citizens have become more vocals towards the government responsibilities and they expect the administration not only to respond to their demands but also to foresee their needs in the future. In India, the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances in Government (DARPG) is in charge of organizing, directing, formulating, and operationalizing Citizen's Charters at the Central Government as well as States Government. However, the fulfillment of Citizen’s Charter in India faced many difficulties due to its government bureaucratic structure and resistant to change in its working system.