Good Governance: Principles and Rajasthan's Legislative Framework

Good governance is not merely efficient administration — it is the structured accountability of government to citizens. The 2nd Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC, 2008) identified six core governance attributes: transparency, accountability, participation, responsiveness, rule of law, and effectiveness. Rajasthan has institutionalised each through specific legislation and platforms.

2.1 Right to Information Act 2005

The Right to Information Act 2005 — enacted by Parliament under Article 19(1)(a) — grants every citizen the right to access information held by public authorities within 30 days (7 days in matters affecting life and liberty). Rajasthan's State Information Commission (SIC) handles second-level appeals against Public Information Officers (PIOs).

Rajasthan extended RTI to Panchayati Raj bodies and cooperative societies — broadening the transparency architecture beyond direct government departments. RTI is the passive disclosure model: a citizen must file an application to obtain information.

2.2 Rajasthan Right to Hearing Act 2012

The Rajasthan Right to Hearing Act 2012 is a landmark reform — India's first law mandating that government officers personally hear citizens' grievances within fixed timelines. Key provisions:

• Every public authority must hold Jan Sunwai (public hearing) sessions on fixed dates
• Citizens can represent grievances related to any public service
• If a hearing is not granted within the stipulated period, the designated officer faces disciplinary action
• The Act applies to state government departments, boards, corporations, and PRIs

This distinguished Rajasthan from other states that relied solely on RTI for accountability. The Act created a proactive obligation on officers to listen, not merely respond to formal applications.

2.3 Rajasthan Guaranteed Delivery of Public Services Act 2011 (RGDPS Act)

The Rajasthan Guaranteed Delivery of Public Services Act 2011 guarantees 277 notified services with defined delivery timelines. The architecture:

• Citizens apply through a Single-Window or designated officer
• The notified service must be delivered within the prescribed period (ranges from 1 day to 30 days depending on service type)
• Non-delivery attracts a penalty (fine) on the erring official, credited to the affected citizen
• An appellate and revisionary mechanism allows citizens to escalate

RGDPS Act predates and complements e-Mitra: the Act creates the legal right; e-Mitra creates the delivery channel.

2.4 Jansunwai (Public Hearing) System — Tiered Grievance Redressal

Rajasthan operates a 3-tier Jansunwai system for citizen grievances:

Tier	Level	Grievances Received (Jan–Dec 2024)	Disposed	Disposal Rate
Tier 1	Gram Panchayat (GP) Level	1,83,419	1,83,275	99.9%
Tier 2	Sub-Divisional Level	34,006	33,981	99.9%
Tier 3	District Level	23,663	23,422	99.0%
Total	All tiers	2,41,088	2,40,678	99.8%

Source: Rajasthan Economic Review 2025-26, Chapter 10 — Shaping the Future with Good Governance

The GP-level tier handles the overwhelming majority (76%) of grievances — reinforcing that decentralised hearing is effective. See Topic #34 for the broader Panchayati Raj governance framework.

2.5 Raj Sampark Portal

Raj Sampark (rajsampark.rajasthan.gov.in) is Rajasthan's unified grievance management system. It integrates:

• Helpline 181 for women, senior citizens, and general public
• Online complaint registration accessible 24×7
• SMS-based status updates to complainants
• Escalation to district collectors if not resolved at department level

Raj Sampark operationalises the Right to Hearing Act digitally — citizens who cannot physically attend Jansunwai sessions can still access the accountability mechanism.

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