BJP today said that a Bill aimed at providing citizens' charter for time-bound delivery of services should not be made applicable to the states as it would be an "encroachment" on federal principles.
"The Cabinet has given its nod to the Citizens' Charter Bill for central services. But they have mandated and thrust this on the states also. This has been put in the Concurrent List but is an encroachment on state laws," BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar told reporters here.
He said that more than 10 states have already put in place their own citizens' charters.
The Union Cabinet, at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, had earlier today approved The Right of Citizens for Time-Bound Delivery of Goods and Services and Redressal of their Grievances Bill, 2011.
The Bill provides for time-bound delivery of services like passport, birth and death certificates and other documents. It envisages penalty of upto Rs50,000 against a government official failing to carry out his duties, official sources said.
"We demand that the Centre should enact a citizens' charter for central services only. At the most, it can pass a model law which states can follow while passing their own law," Javadekar said.
The Bill puts an obligation upon every public authority to publish citizens' charter, stating therein the time within which specified goods shall be supplied and services be rendered and provides for a grievance redressal mechanism for non-compliance of its provisions.
