Monitoring of disposal of grievance cases pertaining to CBEC in the meeting of PRAGATI - Central Excise - 296/137/2013-CX.9/CPGRAMS-Pt.VI

Government of India Ministry of Finance (Department of Revenue) Central Board of Excise Customs D.O. NO. 296/137/2013-CX.9/CPGRAMS-Pt.VI New Delhi , 29 th January, 2016 Subject : Monitoring of disposal of grievance cases pertaining to CBEC in the meeting of PRAGATI - Reg. The Hon ble Prime Minister reviewed the grievance redressal mechanism in CPGRAMS of CBEC on 27-1-2016 during the monthly meeting of PRAGATI. 2. During the course of the review, the Hon ble Prime Minister has directed the following :- I. Strict action to be taken against officers against whom complaints are received regularly. II. Set up a system for top level monitoring of grievances immediately. III. Increased use of technology to reduce discretion of officers. 3. These directions were in the context of 26 grievances specifically identified by PMO for review. An analysis of the grievance disposal indicates that out of 26, 10 grievances were disposed off within the time frame of 60 days, 2 between 61-90 days, 7 between 91-180 days and remaining 7 between 181-365 days. The grievances ranged from allegations of harassment by departmental officers, delay in release of imported consignments, complaints and suggestions. It was seen that even though some of the complaints were specific to the extent of naming an officer, the formation concerned did not report/initiate any action/inquiry in this regard. This is unfortunate. You are aware that Grievance Redress Mechanism is part and parcel of the machinery of any administration. No administration can claim to be accountable, responsive and user-friendly unless it has established an efficient and effective grievance redress mechanism. In fact, the grievance redress mechanism of an organization is the gauge to measure its efficiency and effectiveness as it provides important feedback on the working of the administration. 4. In order to ensure that the directions of the Hon ble Prime Minister are adhered to, the following procedure may be strictly followed : All grievance representations received in the zone, either by mail, fax, e-mail should invariably be routed through the Pr. Commissioner/Commissioner before they go to concerned sections/divisions. At this stage the Pr. Commissioner/Commissioner should go through the representations and come to a prima facie view regarding the gravity of the matter involved/nature of the grievance to facilitate monitoring. Action should be initiated to fix responsibility in each case of delay, default and dereliction of duty, and appropriate action taken against concerned personnel. You may also ensure that a meaningful review of the performance of grievance redress machinery of your zone is conducted on a monthly basis. This should include establishing contact with the complainant telephonically wherever the contact number is available to ascertain whether they are satisfied with the quality of disposal. It is expected that as the Chief Commissioner, you will apart from monitoring, follow up on at least 3 to 5 per cent of grievances received to assess the efficacy of the grievance redressal mechanism. 5. I would also like to draw your attention to a study conducted by Quality Control of India on the grievance redress mechanism in CBEC. While the formal report has yet to be received, it is understood that the report has observed, inter alia, that the officers come late to office and also display an impatient attitude to the taxpayers. CBEC s Citizens Charter lays down our commitment to be at the service of our Country and its Citizens and that we shall strive to carry out our tasks, with integrity, judiciousness, courtesy and understanding, uprightness and conscientiousness and promptness and efficiency, amongst others. I would urge you to impress upon our officers to scrupulously follow the standards laid down in the Charter. 6. All modern tax administrations are focused on taxpayer services and therefore, CBEC must give prominence to customer focus wherein all activities are designed to improve the experience of the taxpayers with the tax departments. 7. I would urge you to take necessary steps to ensure that the directions of the Hon ble Prime Minister are followed in letter and spirit. With best wishes Yours sincerely Sd/- (Najib Shah)