A Citizen Charter is a public document by service providers on the services to which people are entitled and how to hold them accountable when they fall short. Citizen Charter was introduced in Bangladesh in 2009 alongside enactment of the Right to Information Act. In 2015, a new and more useful “Second Generation” Citizen Charter was stadardized. This simple form includes:
- Vision and Mission of the service provider
- Services Provided (public, institutional and internal) including the accountable officers and their contact information, their holidays and any fees required for the services.
- Complaint Procedure
- How to Apply to get the promised / desired service
These exist for all government services, and provide a key resource for both citizens and local governments in securing services to which they are entitled.
A very useful background piece on Citizen Charter is at this link by Prof. Bappy Rahman of Jagannath University.