THE CONGRESS PARTY'S PRIORITIES, PLANS AND PROGRAMMES

ADMINISTRATIVE, POLICE, JUDICIAL AND ELECTORAL REFORMS

An Administrative Reforms Commission will be established to prepare a detailed blueprint for revamping the public administration system completely so as to make it more performance-oriented and accountable. While basic governance is the priority, e-governance will be promoted on a massive scale in areas of concern to the common man particularly, like land records, tax administration, etc.

All government agencies but particularly those that deal with citizens on a day-to-day basis must operate in a responsive and accountable manner. The Right to Information Act at the centre will he made more progressive, meaningful and useful to the public. The monitoring and implementation of the Act will he made more participatory and the penalty clauses regarding delays, illegal denials and other inadequacies relating to the supply of information to the public will be operationalised soon. Protection will be extended to all “whistleblowers” through statutory means, if necessary.

The police force will function in an impartial, professional, effective and humane manner. The special needs of police families, especially in education and housing, will be taken care of in adequate measure. More women will encourage to join the police force.

Immediate measures will be taken to drastically cut delays in courts, particularly in the High Courts and in lower levels of the judiciary. Legal aid services will be aided. Alternative dispute settlement mechanisms will be strengthened. A new system of nyaya panchavats will be instituted.

The Congress is deeply committed to electoral reforms. It was the first party to set up a committee to review its system of financing to ensure maximum transparency. The report of that committee is in the public domain and the Congress is on the path of its implementation. It was the only party to welcome last years Supreme Court order on disclosure by candidates that was opposed by the BJP and it allies.

The Congress will tackle the root causes of corruption and the generation of black money. To a large extent, deregulation, removal of laws that have outlived their utility or have not fulfilled their social purpose, transparency in party financing and state funding of elections will help. Even so, the Congress is conscious of the havoc that corruption at all levels adds to the harassment of the common man and is determined to rid the country of this scourge.