PDL new
Enactment of the Public Disclosure Law
It is one of the mandatory State Level Reforms under JNNURM. Under this law, urban local bodies (ULBs) have to voluntarily declare information about its functioning, which includes, annual statements of performance covering operating and financial parameters and service levels for various services on a periodic basis to the public.
Why is it required
The goal of public disclosure is to institute transparency and accountability in the functioning of municipalities through publication of information pertaining to various facets of municipal governance. JNNURM envisages the enactment of a Public Disclosure Law (PDL) to ensure release of quarterly performance information to all stakeholders.
The core objectives of Public Disclosure Law are:
- To provide appropriate financial & operational information on various municipal services to citizens & other stakeholders.
- To promote efficiency and consistency in the delivery of public goods and services by the municipality.
- To enable comparison over time (of a particular ULB) and space (between ULBs) by disseminating information in a structured, regular and standardized manner.
Implementation of PDL in Karnataka
In Karnataka, disclosure of Financial Statements and Audited Statements are done by all ULBs under The Karnataka Local Fund Authorities Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2003. Under this Act, every ULB has to publish its Annual Budget, Annual Accounts and the Annual Report, together with the certified Annual Accounts. However, information on service levels is not part of it.
As for disclosure of information on service level indicators, rather than bringing in a new law, existing provisions under Right to Information (RTI) Act are explored. The State Government has issued a notification (No. UDD 92 CSS 2009 dated 26.11.2009) under the RTI Act for public disclosure for service level indicators. ULBs and other agencies providing municipal services fall under the category of ‘public authority’ defined under RTI.
Role of ULBs
The notification states that ULBs and other agencies providing municipal services have to voluntarily declare information on service levels in the following manner -
- A summary of the information disclosed in at least one newspaper circulated in the district providing the address of the office, website and/ or e-mail and other contact details where full information may be accessed;
- Full disclosure of all information on the website of the local authority;
- Notice board of the Local Authority;
- Notice board of Ward offices, if any;
The Schedule to the notification provides the details of the information to be disclosed by ULBs, frequency of disclosure (half-yearly, annual etc), level of disclosure (ward, city) and period for which information has to be disclosed (one year, etc).
