RTI, whistle-blower protection, Citizen's Charters, Lokpal & Lokayuktas, and how technology and civil society strengthen probity — with case studies and Mains PYQs.
| Provision | Detail |
|---|---|
| Objective | To promote transparency and accountability by empowering citizens to access information held by public authorities. |
| Section 4 | Proactive/suo motu disclosure obligations on public authorities. |
| Section 6 | Any citizen may file a request for information without giving reasons. |
| Section 7 | Information must ordinarily be provided within 30 days (48 hours if life/liberty is involved). |
| Section 8 | Exemptions — sovereignty/security, Cabinet papers, personal information with no public interest, breach of privilege. |
| Appeal structure | First Appellate Authority (departmental) → Central/State Information Commission. |
Flaws: large pendency of appeals, vacancies in Commissioner posts, inconsistent application of exemptions, threats/attacks on RTI activists. Recommendations: timely filling of vacancies, stronger protection for RTI applicants, better proactive disclosure, digitisation.
Enacted to establish a mechanism to receive complaints of corruption or wilful misuse of power by public servants, and to protect the identity of whistle-blowers. Implementation gap: delays in notification of enabling rules; civil-society groups have flagged the need for stronger, more actively enforced protection.
| Component | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Vision & Mission | Statement of the organisation's purpose and long-term goals. |
| Details of business transacted | What services/functions the organisation performs. |
| Details of clients | Who the citizen-users/stakeholders are. |
| Statement of services & standards | Specific services offered, with defined quality/time standards. |
| Grievance redressal mechanism | Clear process and timelines for complaint resolution. |
| Expectations from citizens | Reciprocal obligations of citizens for the Charter to work effectively. |
Sevottam Model: a service-delivery excellence framework (DARPG) built on three pillars — Citizen's Charter, Public Grievance Redressal, Service Delivery Capability. Cycle: Draft standards → Consult stakeholders → Notify Charter → Monitor delivery → Review & revise.
| Indicator/Institution | Key Fact |
|---|---|
| Transparency International CPI 2025 | India ranked 91st of 180 countries with a score of 39/100 (improved from 96th, score 38, in 2024). |
| Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (amended 2018) | Criminalises bribery by/of public servants; 2018 amendment also criminalised the act of giving a bribe. |
| Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 | Provides for an anti-corruption ombudsman (Lokpal) at the Centre and Lokayuktas in States. |
| Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) | Apex vigilance institution, established 1964 (Santhanam Committee); statutory status since 2003. |
Dimensions: petty/administrative corruption, grand/political corruption, and systemic corruption embedded in weak institutional design. Corruption distorts resource allocation, deepens inequality, and disproportionately burdens the poor.
| Approach | Efficacy / Limitation |
|---|---|
| Legal/punitive (PCA, Lokpal) | Necessary deterrent, but limited by slow trial process and low conviction rates. |
| Technological (e-governance, DBT, GeM) | Highly effective in reducing discretionary human interface for routine transactions. |
| Institutional (CVC, CAG, Lokayuktas) | Strong on detection/audit, but often criticised for limited independent enforcement power. |
| Civil society (RTI activism, social audits, media) | Powerful in exposing corruption, but activists face risks (cf. Satyendra Dubey) without robust protection. |
| Cultural/educational (values education, ethics training) | Long-term, foundational impact, but slow to show measurable short-term results. |
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Enabling law | Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013. |
| Jurisdiction | Covers the PM (with safeguards), Ministers, MPs, and Group A/B/C/D central government employees/officials of certain bodies. |
| Composition | A Chairperson and up to 8 Members (at least 50% judicial members; at least 50% from SC/ST/OBC/minorities/women). |
| State-level counterpart | Lokayukta — States were required to establish their own within a specified period. |
| Limitation | Delays in operationalisation (search committee constitution, appointments) have historically slowed effectiveness. |
| Functionary | Key Conduct Expectations |
|---|---|
| Ministers | Code of Conduct for Ministers (conflict of interest, asset disclosure, restrictions on relatives benefiting from official position). |
| Legislators | Members' Code of Conduct, anti-defection discipline (10th Schedule), disclosure of assets/criminal antecedents. |
| Civil Servants | All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968 & CCS (Conduct) Rules, 1964 — political neutrality, restrictions on private trade/gifts. |
| Regulators | Sector-specific codes (SEBI, RBI, TRAI) emphasising independence and post-retirement cooling-off restrictions. |
| Judiciary | Restatement of Values of Judicial Life (1997) — adopted by the Supreme Court, covering conduct both on and off the bench. |
This material draws on publicly available official/government sources: IGNOU Study Material (Public Administration & Ethics), NCERT Political Science & Philosophy textbooks (Classes XI–XII), 2nd ARC 4th Report (darpg.gov.in), DoPT CCS (Conduct) Rules 1964, RTI Act 2005 & Whistle Blowers Protection Act 2014 (indiacode.nic.in), Companies Act 2013 (mca.gov.in), Transparency International CPI 2025, PIB press releases, and the Constitution of India (legislative.gov.in).
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