What is Accountability and Transparency?
Historical Background
Key Points
10 points- 1.
Accountability: Government functionaries are answerable for their actions and decisions.
- 2.
Transparency: Openness in government operations, allowing public scrutiny of decision-making processes.
- 3.
Right to Information (RTI): Citizens' legal right to access government information, enshrined in the RTI Act 2005.
- 4.
Proactive Disclosure: Government agencies are mandated to publish certain information suo motu, reducing the need for specific RTI requests.
- 5.
Lokpal and Lokayuktas: Independent bodies established to inquire into allegations of corruption against public functionaries.
- 6.
Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG): Constitutional body (Article 148) responsible for auditing government accounts, ensuring financial accountability.
- 7.
Central Vigilance Commission (CVC): Apex vigilance institution to advise and assist the central government in anti-corruption measures.
- 8.
Whistleblower Protection: Laws to protect individuals who expose corruption or wrongdoing in public service.
- 9.
Citizen's Charters: Documents that declare the standards of service delivery, information, grievance redressal, and other commitments of an organization to its citizens.
- 10.
Social Audits: Process of reviewing official records and determining whether state reported expenditures reflect the actual spending on the ground, often involving community participation.
Recent Developments
5 developmentsContinued efforts to strengthen RTI Act implementation and reduce delays in information dissemination.
Increased adoption of e-governance platforms for transparent service delivery and grievance redressal (e.g., MyGov, UMANG).
Debates around data privacy and balancing it with transparency in the digital age.
Focus on social audits for various government schemes (e.g., MGNREGA) to enhance grassroots accountability.
Strengthening of anti-corruption bodies and mechanisms through legislative and administrative reforms.