CITIZENS CHARTER
Aryanad Grama Panchayat Citizen's Charter
Based on the 73rd Constitutional Amendment, the Kerala Panchayat Raj Act of 1994 and subsequently the three-tier panchayat system came into existence. Gram Sabhas, as per the Panchayat Raj Act, became the foundational stones of democracy.
A Gram Sabha is a general assembly of all voters in a ward. Through Gram Sabhas, every citizen gained direct participation in governance. With the emergence of the People's Planning Movement, the panchayat transformed into an institution that needs to be regularly contacted for many essential service aids concerning citizens, just as it is in governance.
The Panchayat Raj Act defines the responsibilities of the Gram Panchayat. The services to be provided to citizens by the Gram Panchayat in this regard are mentioned in the Third Schedule. However, the current situation is that the majority of citizens are unaware of what services are available from their Gram Panchayat and other allied offices, the procedures for obtaining those services, the conditions regarding the services, or their time limits.
Consequently, avoidable delays and other difficulties have to be endured. Receiving the services legally due from the Gram Panchayat is the right of every citizen. To ensure this, two provisions stipulated in the Panchayat Raj Act are the Right to Information and the Citizen's Charter.
According to Section 271A of the Panchayat Raj Act, it is the right of every citizen to receive any information requested in good faith, following procedural rules, within a specified time limit. Similarly, Section 272A of the Panchayat Raj Act stipulates that the Gram Panchayat must publish a Citizen's Charter.
To this end, the Gram Panchayat Committee, after detailed discussions, has decided to publish a Citizen's Charter detailing the services voluntarily promised to be provided in a time-bound manner to the citizens residing in this Gram Panchayat area, the conditions a citizen must fulfill to obtain such services, the terms to which the services will be subject, and the time limit for providing the services.
