1.13 Concept, Objective, and Importance of Public Policy

1.13 Citizen/Public Service Charter 📜

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🏛️ Citizen/Public Service Charter

• The Citizen Charter is a commitment letter of public offices for public services.

• It includes:

  • Description of services provided

  • Process

  • Cost

  • Time

  • Responsible officials

• It is a response to solving problems citizens encounter while dealing with public service organizations.

• Prime objective: Empower citizens in public service delivery and ensure accountability, responsiveness, and transparency.

• It is one of the social accountability tools.

Aims of Citizen Charter:

• Enable improved service delivery

• Promote responsiveness and transparency

• Enhance public satisfaction

• Serve as an apparatus for effective communication between service providers and recipients

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📜 Evolution of Citizen Charter

• Good governance is essential for sustainable development (economic and social).

• Three essential aspects of good governance:

  1. Transparency

  2. Accountability

  3. Responsiveness

• Citizen’s Charters address daily problems faced by citizens in accessing public services.

• First articulated and implemented in the United Kingdom in 1991 under Prime Minister John Major (Conservative Government).

• Initially a National Programme aimed at continuously improving the quality of public services.

• Relaunched in 1998 by Prime Minister Tony Blair (Labour Government) as "Service First".

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📐 Principles of Citizen Charter

Original Six Principles (UK, 1991):

1. Quality: Improve service quality

2. Choice: Provide choice wherever possible

3. Standards: Specify expectations and actions if standards are not met

4. Value: Add value for taxpayers’ money

5. Accountability: Be accountable to individuals and organizations

6. Transparency: Ensure transparency in rules, procedures, schemes, and grievances

Elaborated Nine Principles (UK Labour Government, 1998):

1. Set standards of service

2. Be open and provide full information

3. Consult and involve

4. Encourage access and promote choice

5. Treat all fairly

6. Put things right when they go wrong

7. Use resources effectively

8. Innovate and improve

9. Work with other providers

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🌍 The International Scene

Country	Initiative Name	Year
UK	Citizen’s Charter	1991
Australia	Service Charter	1997
Belgium	Public Service Users’ Charter	1992
Canada	Service Standards Initiative	1995
France	Service Charter	1992
India	Citizen’s Charter	1997
Malaysia	Client Charter	1993
Portugal	The Quality Charter in Public Services	1993
Spain	The Quality Observatory	1992
Nepal	Citizen Charter	2000 AD

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🇳🇵 Introduction of Citizen Charter in Nepal

• Introduced in 2056 BS through the program "Justice for Voiceless and Income for Indigents"

• Implemented in 2061 BS

• Good Governance Act, 2064 made legal provision for Citizen Charters in all government offices

• Right to Information Act, 2064 served as a foundation and catalyst

• Citizen Charter with Compensation Management Directive, 2069 issued and in effect

• Compensation-based Citizen Charters implemented in some public offices from 2070:

  • Transport management

  • Land revenue

  • Immigration

  • Foreign employment department

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🎯 Objectives of Citizen Charter

• Establish and enhance public accountability and citizen-centric orientation

• Ensure rule of law

• Promote transparency in public offices

• Embrace and ensure right to information

• Reduce corruption and irregularities

• Ensure predictability in service delivery

• Simplify and manage procedures

• Establish harmony between service providers and recipients

• Promote effective communication

• Maintain administrative neutrality and functional commitment

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🧩 Components/Elements of Citizen Charter

1. Vision

2. Goals

3. Programmes

4. Details of services

5. Process/procedures for receiving service

6. Time frame

7. Contribution required for receiving service

8. Responsible authority

9. Nodal person

10. Compensation (if any)

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✅ Significance of Citizen's Charters

• Empower citizens in accessing public services

• Boost accountability in service delivery

• Enhance good governance

• Improve organizational effectiveness through measurable standards

• Augment service quality via internal and external monitoring

• Create a professional, customer-oriented environment

• Boost staff morale

• Enhance transparency and openness

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⚠️ Problems Regarding Citizen Charter in Nepal

1. Embryonic and evolutionary state of provision and implementation

2. Ignorance, illiteracy, and lack of awareness among the public

3. Prevalence of nepotism and favoritism in political and social structures

4. Traditional and subsistence working procedures and record management

5. Lack of awareness and apathy in the workforce

6. Poorly linked reward and punishment mechanisms to performance

7. Poor use of ICT in public service delivery

8. Citizen Charter often just a legal formality—lacks physical access and productive outcomes

9. Poor legal and institutional framework

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⚖️ Provision of Good Governance Act-2064 on Citizen's Charter

Section 25: Management & Operation

1. Every governmental office responsible for public service or public relations must maintain a Citizen’s Charter in prescribed form and display it visibly.

2. The Charter must contain:

   • a. Detailed statement of services and their nature

   • b. Procedure for users to obtain service

   • c. Estimated time for service delivery

   • d. Description of responsible officer and their chamber

   • e. Fees or amounts to be paid

   • f. Other prescribed matters

3. Mandatory compliance by the office; duty of the chief and staff to deliver services accordingly.

4. Departmental action may be taken against in-charge and staff if service is not delivered as per Charter without reasonable cause.

5. Compensation may be prescribed for losses incurred due to failure to deliver service as per Charter.

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