The Prayas ePathshala

Exams आसान है !

Q1. The official secrecy statute directly contradicts the 2005 Right to Information

Act. Examine the statement in light of the policies introduced during the Covid

19 pandemic. (250 words)

development in various sectors

The details of pandemic response, vaccination cost, and expert committee meeting schedules are not available to the public.
The workings of PM-CARES have been shrouded in secrecy, making it difficult to hold the government accountable.
The ethos of Right to Information is undermined by bureaucratic concealment.

According to the Official Secrets Act of 1923, any government official can mark a document as confidential in order to prevent it from being published.
In the event of a dispute between the two laws, the RTI Act’s provisions take precedence over the OSA’s
Section 22 of the RTI Act provides that its requirements would take effect despite anything in the OSA that contradicts them.
However, this has not been the case in the case of pandemic data. Official secrecy is at odds with RTI.

The government’s responses to RTI queries filed over the past year have been characterised by blatant denials.
Opacity serves as a cover for large-scale over-centralisation and misgovernance in COVID-19-related topics, from vaccine manufacture and pricing decisions to last year’s lockdown planning and the establishment and running of the ten-thousand-crore-plus PM CARES fund.
Vaccine-related details:Bharat Biotech hasn’t released any peer-reviewed interim efficacy assessments from Phase 3 clinical studies until now.
The DCGI has denied RTI requests regarding its decision to give Covaxin and Covishield emergency approval, saying that information about efficacy and safety is considered privileged commercial information.
The ICMR will receive a 5% royalty on the vaccination.
Only because the Supreme Court heard a suo motu PIL on the pandemic has these and other bits of information become public.
The government’s summary dismissals not only violate citizens’ fundamental right to information, but also force RTI petitions into a two-year appeals procedure.
Citizens must seek Information Commissions and High Courts to obtain basic information, wasting time and money.

Effective planning and administration cannot take place in the dark, and experts blame incompetence and a lack of preparation as much as the virus for the high death toll and misery.
Official secrecy is jeopardising scientists’, public health experts’, and policy experts’ ability to provide timely input and recommendations to the government.
The information blackhole is so bad that over 900 scientists have petitioned the Prime Minister for access to data and information.
However, not much has changed.
Because the government receives a large number of charity gifts, it must be accountable to the public for how these funds are spent.
A lack of medicines, hospital beds, vaccines, and oxygen raises questions about the government’s preparedness to confront the pandemic.

In accordance with Sections 4 and 7 of the RTI Act, which deal with proactive and urgent disclosures with life and liberty implications, the Supreme Court should require the government to suo motu reveal material connected to COVID-19 policies.
Amartya Sen stated in a paper about famines in colonial India that mass hunger and death do not occur if information flows freely.
The same may be said for pandemic preparedness.

Q2. What is the Gram Panchayat Model Citizen Charter? Throw light on its main

characteristics and significance. (250 words)

Paper & Topic: GS II àImportant aspects of Governance & Citizens’ Charter

A citizen’s charter is a voluntary, written document that outlines a service provider’s efforts to focus on their commitment to meeting the requirements of residents/customers.
A Model Panchayat Citizens Charter/framework for delivering services across 29 sectors, aligning actions with localised Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), prepared by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) in collaboration with the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR), was recently released through a virtual programme for Panchayats to adopt and customise.

The Panchayats will use this model and, with Gram Sabha’s agreement, will draught a Citizens Charter that will include a list of the many categories of services offered by the Panchayat, as well as their condition and time limit.
“A Citizens’ Charter is a tool to create good governance,” the model framework declares.
The successful implementation of the Citizens’ Charter improves service delivery, increases Panchayat functionaries’ responsiveness, and increases citizen satisfaction.”
It is expected to empower residents and improve the operation of Panchayats.

The following information must be disclosed under service standards, according to the paper released:
Service name
Service details, such as beneficiaries and eligible individuals, fees, and so on
The length of time it will take to deliver the service
Name and contact information for the Panchayat official in charge of providing the service

The Sarpanch and the Panchayat Secretary shall be available to citizens to listen to their problems and provide contact information for the authorities to whom citizens should direct any such complaint.
The framework further stipulates that the Panchayat should solicit the views of the Panchayat Secretary and other officers from the appropriate line departments when drafting the charter.

PRIs are responsible for delivering basic services as enshrined in Article 243G of the Indian Constitution, specifically in the areas of Health & Sanitation, Education, Nutrition, and Drinking Water.
PRIs are responsible for delivering basic services as enshrined in Article 243G of the Indian Constitution, specifically in the areas of Health & Sanitation, Education, Nutrition, and Drinking Water.
The goal of establishing a Citizen Charter is to provide services to the people in a timely manner, resolving their grievances and improving their lives.
This will help in making citizens aware of their rights on the one hand, and making Panchayats and their elected representatives directly accountable to the people on the other.

A Citizens’ Charter is a tool to ensure that the citizen is always at the centre of any service delivery mechanism, rather than an end in itself.
Citizen’s Charter can benefit from best practise models like the Sevottam Model in becoming more citizen centred.