10 Action Steps for government and civil society

No.

Suggested Action Step

Some Reasons

1

Reduce Corruption

To reduce corruption, there should be a 3 member team in every government department, with 1 member from that government department, 1 member from an NGO / citizen group, and 1 member from the Anti Corruption Bureau, so that citizens can complain confidently against corruption to such a group.

Such a mechanism will be more effective than the present Vigilance Cell, as a team with members from both within the department, and from the common citizens, will also be able to determine the reasons for corruption, and hence systemic changes to reduce corruption can be implemented.

2

Catch the Corrupt

Empower the Anti Corruption Bureau to investigate complaints against corruption, without the onus of proof being on the complainant.

The ACB as a department needs to be strengthened and made autonomous and efficient (as much as the Anti Terror Squad), as several of the problems being faced today stem from widespread corruption in society.

3

Implement existing laws firmly & quickly

All existing laws, rules, regulations, policies to be implemented impartially, and relevant statistics to be publicly shared.

Existing laws if implemented firmly, will solve several existing problems, without the need for the introduction of new laws. 

4

Ensure speedier justice

Existing court backlog to be cleared by sorting these into different types of cases, and thereafter disposing of these in priority of type, number, etc.

Delays in the judicial system favour the lawbreakers, and encourage them to break laws. Steps like computerisation, and collecting a Rs.1000/- fine per adjournment from the party seeking adjournment will effectively speed up the judicial process.

5

Make Complaints and Action Taken reports public

All complaints of a non-personal nature and as covered by the Citizens Charter of every government department, to be publicly displayed on a website, along with ATRs (Action Taken Reports) for the same.

This will ensure faster action on complaints, as well as better suggestions for the improvement of that service, and will enable systemic thinking for improvement by that department.

6

Penalise poor performance
Within the present set-up, neither the jobs, nor the salaries, nor the reputations of government officers who do not perform get affected. Once complaints and Action Taken Reports are made public, accountability of the officers in charge will get fixed. The next step is to take action against the concerned officer(s). e.g. official reprimand, fines, transfer, suspension, dismissal, legal action, etc. and these to be made public.

This will ensure better reporting and performance by government officers.

7

Establish sector-wise umbrella organisations
For different sectors (such as health, primary education, etc.), umbrella organisations of NGOs working in that sector to be formed, and these to be formally recognised.

Representatives from this umbrella group to give inputs from the ground level and from citizens to government departments and committees.

8

Formalise Citizen-Government interaction Formal involvement of citizen groups / resident associations with different departments of Government such as BMC, Police, etc. so as to strengthen the working of government departments.

Government will have limited success in implementing policies and procedures without the active participation of citizens; citizens must be involved if we desire better solutions and implementation. The Local Area Citizen Group Charter between BMC and citizen groups, can be suitably modified. 

9

Include citizen representation on government committees
On every government committee, 1/3 of the members should be from the public or NGOs. The method for inviting such members from the public, and the process of selection to be transparent.

Citizen representatives within such committees will provide better inputs and information to the Committee, thus making the committee more effective.

10

Review policies periodically

Every 3 years, policies and procedures to be formally reviewed, with inputs from civil society. There should be mechanisms (e.g. through a website, or through monthly public meetings) to receive and collect inputs from citizens continuously.

Feedback and review of policies will enable better laws and rules, thus enabling better systems and implementation on the ground.