The Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances, Government of India, organized the 2nd 'District Collectors Conference', which took place on the 6th & 7th of September in New Delhi. Over 30 district collectors participated, making presentations on best practices to overcome challenges faced in the sectors of rural development, education, urban development, law & order, and disaster management. 
 
The Planning Commission is providing these presentations for the public to see examples of the good work being done by young IAS officers in the field, and to promote cross-learning and innovation.

1. RIGHT TO HEARING
The Rajasthan Right to Hearing Act 2012
Initiative for its effective
implementation in Rajsamand district

2. Grievance Redress
Importance for good governance
• Greievance redress – A barometer of effective
governance
• Grievance beyond existing state policy-
Marker of felt need
• Absence of grievance- Not necessasarily good

3. Status of PG redress at districts
• Sugam RPG- Collector Office
• Sugam RPG- SDO Office (Local Initiative)
• Vigilance Committees (Collector/SDO)
• Night Chaupal- Collector/SDM
• ZP/PS General Body Meetings
• Vigilance Meeting by Hon MP
• RTI (Availability of official documents
strengthen case)

4. Critical Analysis
• Access to authorities intermittent
• Long distance/loss of wage
• Availability of officer not guaranteed
• Individual centric- Not system based
• Punishment of erring officers cumbersome
• No established system of appeal
• Lower functionaries not directly responsible
• RTI by itself does not redress grievance

5. The Acts…
• The Rajasthan Right to Hearing Act 2012 http://
www.ard.rajasthan.gov.in/Right_To_Hearing_Act.aspx
(Analysis will follow)
• The Rajasthan Guaranteed Delivery of Public Services
Act 2011
http://www.ard.rajasthan.gov.in/new_policy.aspx
(153 Notified services to be delivered in a time bound
process)

6. RGDPS & RTH as a solution!
• Together, all grievance covered
• Legal mandate
• Defined roles & responsibilities (PHO/DO)
• Provision for appeals
• Time bound hearing/service delivery
• Instant punishment for failure of duty

7. Implementation Challenges
• Multiplicity of offices (PHO/DO/Appeal auth)
• Not at doorstep- travel expense/loss of wage
• Registration not guaranteed (Grievance
unregistered = grievance doesn’t exist!)
• Multiple lines of appeal- distant/divisional
offices
• Difficult to monitor compliance

8. Initiative in Rajsmand
Lok Sunvayi Sahayata Kendra
• LSSK at every BNRGSK
• Rozgar Sahayak as facilitator to receive complaints
everyday between 10am-12noon
• Standardised receipts for every application stating,
code of complaint, date & place of hearing &
designation of PHO
• Transfer of all complaints received in a week (Mon
to Fri) to central registry at Tehsil by Friday evening
• Transfer of complaints to concerned PHO at block
level by monday

10. Initiative in Rajsmand
Lok Sunvayi Sahayata Kendra
• Fixed day hearing every friday (for complaints received
in previous week) at PS BNRGSK where all PHOs would
be present & chaired by SDO
• After hearing, replies in Format-3 would be given on
the spot
• In case applicant not present for hearing, decision in
format-3 would be taken in absentia & transferred to
concerned LSSK, to be retrieved by applicant at his
convenience
• Detailed orders have been issued by Collector
Rajsamand to put above system in place on 4-9-12 in
spirit of Sec 5 of Act & Rule 20 of rules

12. RTH Act- Issues to be redressed
• Right to hearing = Right to get work done?
• Sec 2(a) & (b) and Sec 4(5) of Act
• Doesn’t cover services under RGDPS
• Sec 2(a) of Act
• IT platform essential (Customise Sugam-RPG)
• Sec 5(3) of Act
• Amend appellate authority
• Sec 6 of Act & Notification No.F.13(1)AR&C/Gr.1/2012
• Staffing, training & IEC
• Rule 22 of Rules
• Mandatory to come through LSSK

13. Evaluation- Benefits
• Local Single Window LSSK at BN RGSK
• Rozgar Sahayak as single face of Govt
• Fixed day hearings in public & at one location
PS-BNRGSK
• SDO supervision of PHOs hearings
• Written communication on spot
• Appeal filing at Friday hearings
• On spot punishments for failure of duty

14. Evaluation- Challenges
(Delivery side)
• Heavily dependent on Rozgar Sahayak
• GP needs rigorous training & orientation (LSSK not
open, GP disposal dependent on individual
initiative)
• Without IT platform, lot of paper/register work,
difficult to trace cases, cannot avoid multiplicity
• Increase in frivolous, unreasonable, malafide,
multiple applications
• If actual work is not done, may become a paper
exercise
• Grievance overload may show Govt in bad light

15. Evaluation- Challenges
(Demand side)
●
Citizens not aware of elaborate system
(Awareness campaign required)
●
Active utilisation of system dependent on
hand-holding by NGOs- could be
institutionalised)
●
Low attendance at friday public-hearings
●
Approaching SDO/Collector/MLA still deep
rooted in mindset

16. Proactive disclosure
(Wall paintings at GP)
●
The BPL list & housing
(Awas) wait-list
●
Pension beneficiary list

17. What do numbers say?
The total RTH complaints registered &
disposed in Rajsamand from when the Act
came into force in Aug 2012 is:
Registered Disposed Pending
30513 29966 547

18. Sample Analysis – 11 GPs
Name of
GP /Block
Total
Registersd
Receipt
Given
Written reply
after Hearing
Actual
work done
Pending
1. Nagadia (Khamnore) 41 41 41 38 3
2. Kaliwas (Khamnore) 50 50 47 37 13
3. Jhor (Amet) 80 80 80 80 0
4. Liki (Amet) 62 62 53 56 6
5. Khadbamaniy (Railmagra) 144 144 123 123 21
6. Oda (Railmagra) 163 163 56 148 15
7. Samicha (Kumbhalgarh) 187 187 89 89 98
8. Banokda (Kumbhalgarh) 90 90 4 4 86
9. Saroth (Bhim) 263 263 183 183 80
10. Baggad (Bhim) 277 277 171 171 106
11. Mohi (Rajsamand) 141 141 141 141 0
Grand Total 1498 1498 988 1070 428

19. Department Wise
Name of Department Registered Receipt
Given
Written reply
after Hearing
Actual work
done
Pending
1. Revenue 474 474 359 359 115
2. Panchyat 659 659 423 423 236
3. Police 0 0 0 0 0
4. PWD 8 8 4 4 4
5. AVVNL 151 151 92 92 59
6. Health 84 84 81 81 3
7 . Agriculture 24 24 22 22 2
8. Animal Husbandry 0 0 0 0 0
9. Forest 1 1 1 1 0
10.Mining 0 0 0 0 0
11.Irrigation 1 1 1 1 0

20. Department Wise
Name of
Department
Registe
red
Receipt
Given
Written
reply after
Hearing
Actual
work
done
Pending
12.PHED 26 26 23 23 3
13.Coprative 0 0 0 0 0
14.Swayat shasan 0 0 0 0 0
15.ICDS 2 2 2 2 0
16. Education 9 9 5 5 4
17.Labour 0 0 0 0 0
18. Treasury 7 7 7 7 0
19. Supply 0 0 0 0 0
20. Excise 0 0 0 0 0
21.Social Justices 54 54 52 52 2
Grand Total 1498 1498 988 1072 428

21. Conclusion
In view of the fact that, only if every genuine
grievance of a citizen is addressed adequately
& in time, will the claims of Govt. success be
justified, the institutionalisation of RTH- in
letter & spirit across the state of Rajasthan is a
giant step in the journey of good governance.