Single-window agency mooted for govt depts

The eleventh report of the National Administrative Reforms Commission, which focuses on a citizen-centric government, calls for a single-window agency in all government organisations to minimise delays and maximise the impact of government programmes. It also advocates a seven-step model to make governance citizen-centric.

While the report acknowledges the fact that bureaucracy is synonymous with red tape and a top-down approach and citizens should actually decide what they get, when they get and how fast they get it, the seven-step model does not put citizens at the centre of governance.

Nor does it suggest any legislation to pave the way for a citizen-centric governance, where policies and programmes are planned by the target groups. It also does not talk of the consequences of non-compliance by agencies.

It says that each organisation would follow a step-by-step approach which would help it in becoming increasingly citizen-centric. This approach should be followed not only by the top management, but also by each unit of the organisation that has a public interface.

It also suggests organisations first define the services they provide and identify their clients.

They should then set standards and norms for each service, develop capability to meet these standards, perform, and then monitor the performance against the set standards and evaluate the impact through an independent mechanism.

On citizens’ participation in decision-making, it cites the communitisation of services in Nagaland, where services are delivered in partnership with citizens.

It recommends participatory municipal budgeting, allowing citizens to vote directly through a referendum on specific proposals, mandatory public hearings before approval of projects and laws, and empowering gram sabhas to decide on issues of implementation of government welfare schemes.