Pallavi Bedi

pallavi@prsindia.org
Harsimran Kalra
harsimran@prsindia.org
July 20, 2012

PRS Legislative Research Centre for Policy Research Dharma Marg Chanakyapuri New Delhi 110021
Tel: (011) 2611 5273-76, Fax: 2687 2746
www.prsindia.org
Policy Guide
The Citizens Charter Bill, 2011 The Citizens Charter Bill, 2011 The Citizens Charter Bill, 2011 The Citizens Charter Bill, 2011
A citizen charter is a document to be published by all state agencies detailing the goods and
services to be provided by them. The charter should contain the standards of the goods and
services to be provided and the time frame within which they have to be provided.
In India, the concept of a citizen charter was introduced in 1997. As of January 2011, 131 citizen
charters were finalised by central government departments and 729 citizen charters were
finalised by state government departments. All governmental agencies (central and state
government) are required to publish citizen charters.
Presently, a citizen charter is not legally enforceable and in the absence of such a legal
mechanism grievances are dealt with internally by the government departments. In order to
make the charter legally enforceable, the central government has introduced the Right of Citizens
for Time Bound Delivery of Goods and Services and Redressal of their Grievances Bill, 2011
(Citizen Charter Bill) in the Lok Sabha on December 20, 2011. Several states have also enacted
their own laws providing for citizen charters and grievance redressal mechanisms. (For a
comparison between some of the state laws and the Central Bill, see Table 1 on the next page).
Some of the key features of the Central Bill are given below:
The Bill applies to central and state governmental departments and all other agencies of the
government, including public private partnerships and NGOs financed by the government.
Any citizen may file a complaint for a failure in delivery of goods or services to be provided
under the Citizen Charter or any law, policy or scheme. A complaint may also be filed
against the functioning of any governmental authority.
Complaints have to be made to the Grievance Redressal Officer (GRO). GROs are appointed
by the Public Authority at the central, state, district, sub-district, municipality and panchayat
levels. Complaints have to be redressed within 30 working days.
A person aggrieved by the decision of the GRO has two rounds of appeal. The first round is
before the Designated Authority (DA) and the second round is before the Public Grievance
Redressal Commissions. The Bill establishes these commissions at the centre and the state
levels. Appeals filed in relation to complaints arising out of the functioning of the state
(central) departments would lie before the State (Central) Commission.
An appeal against the decision of the commissions related to corruption cases shall lie with
the Lokpal or the Lokayukta.
The Bill empowers the appellate authorities to impose penalty up to Rs 50,000 upon
defaulting officers and GROs. A portion of the penalty may be awarded as compensation to
the complainant. In case there is evidence of corruption against the defaulting officer, the DA
and the commissions may refer the matter to appropriate authorities.
Table 1 overleaf compares the Central Bill with the laws of some states.
T
a
b
l
e

1
:

C
o
m
p
a
r
i
s
o
n

b
e
t
w
e
e
n

t
h
e

C
e
n
t
r
a
l

B
i
l
l

a
n
d

s
o
m
e

s
t
a
t
e

A
c
t
s

I
s
s
u
e
s

C
e
n
t
r
a
l

B
i
l
l

J
&
K

D
e
l
h
i

B
i
h
a
r
/
M
P
/
U
P
/
R
a
j
a
s
t
h
a
n

P
u
n
j
a
b
/
U
t
t
a
r
a
k
h
a
n
d

H
i
m
a
c
h
a
l

P
r
a
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e
s
h

C
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m
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a
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n
a
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t
s

C
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d
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A
l
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e
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C
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A
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A
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B
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/
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a
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(
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)

c
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s
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a
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;

(
b
)

e
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s

n
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i
f
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d

b
y

g
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e
r
n
m
e
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t
;

(
c
)

N
G
O
s
,

c
e
r
t
a
i
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p
r
i
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e

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n
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s

S
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a
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g
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(
a
)

c
o
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s
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l

a
n
d


s
t
a
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a
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;

(
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,

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;

a
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(
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P
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A
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c
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L
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A
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p
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p
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a
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f
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a

r
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v
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b
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f
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a

n
o
m
i
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a
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d

o
f
f
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c
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r
.


A
p
p
l
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c
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t
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t
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t
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c
o
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c
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f
f
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w
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a
p
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d
s
.

T
h
e

t
h
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r
d

r
o
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d

o
f

a
p
p
e
a
l

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s

b
e
f
o
r
e

t
h
e

c
o
m
m
i
s
s
i
o
n
.


A
n
y

p
e
r
s
o
n

m
a
y

f
i
l
e

a

r
e
v
i
s
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a
g
a
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n
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t

o
r
d
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s

o
f

s
e
c
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d

a
p
p
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l
a
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a
u
t
h
o
r
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t
y

b
e
f
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r
e

t
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e

C
o
m
m
i
s
s
i
o
n
.

A
p
p
l
i
c
a
t
i
o
n

t
o

t
h
e

c
o
n
c
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r
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d

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f
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r

w
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t
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t
w
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a
p
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s
.



P
e
n
a
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t
y

M
a
x
i
m
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m

p
e
n
a
l
t
y

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f

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s

5
0
,
0
0
0
.


P
e
n
a
l
t
y

o
f

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s

5
0
0

t
o

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s

5
0
0
0
.

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e
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a
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m
a
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b
e

p
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d

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s

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5
0

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r

d
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s

5
0
0
0
.


E
v
e
r
y

g
o
v
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r
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m
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s
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w
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a
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t

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t

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s

1
0

p
e
r

a
p
p
l
i
c
a
t
i
o
n
.



P
e
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s

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0

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o

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s

5
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0
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o

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s

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D
i
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i
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a
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n

I
f

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A
p
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A
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a
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i
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.

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i
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a
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a
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.

I
n

c
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a
b
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a
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a
d
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a
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e

a
c
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i
o
n
.

D
i
s
c
i
p
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n
a
r
y

a
c
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i
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n

m
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m
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n
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a
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d

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r

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s
t

a
p
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a
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a
u
t
h
o
r
i
t
y
.

D
i
s
c
i
p
l
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n
a
r
y

a
c
t
i
o
n

m
a
y

b
e

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e
c
o
m
m
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n
d
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d

a
g
a
i
n
s
t

t
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e

c
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r
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d

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f
f
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r

o
r

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t
h
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r

o
f
f
i
c
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a
l
s
.

D
i
s
c
i
p
l
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a
r
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a
c
t
i
o
n

m
a
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b
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c
o
m
m
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n
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a
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t

t
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e

c
o
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c
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r
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d

o
f
f
i
c
e
r
.


C
o
m
p
e
n
s
a
t
i
o
n

N
o
t

m
a
n
d
a
t
o
r
y
.


N
o
t

m
a
n
d
a
t
o
r
y
.

M
a
n
d
a
t
o
r
y
.



N
o
t

m
a
n
d
a
t
o
r
y
.

N
o
t

m
a
n
d
a
t
o
r
y
.


N
o
t

m
a
n
d
a
t
o
r
y
.


C
o
m
m
i
s
s
i
o
n
s

B
o
t
h

a
t

t
h
e

c
e
n
t
r
a
l

a
n
d

s
t
a
t
e

l
e
v
e
l
.

N
o

p
r
o
v
i
s
i
o
n

N
o

p
r
o
v
i
s
i
o
n

N
o

p
r
o
v
i
s
i
o
n

P
u
n
j
a
b
:

5

m
e
m
b
e
r

c
o
m
m
i
s
s
i
o
n

U
K
:

3

m
e
m
b
e
r

c
o
m
m
i
s
s
i
o
n

N
o

p
r
o
v
i
s
i
o
n








D
I
S
C
L
A
I
M
E
R
:

T
h
i
s

d
o
c
u
m
e
n
t

i
s

b
e
i
n
g

f
u
r
n
i
s
h
e
d

t
o

y
o
u

f
o
r

y
o
u
r

i
n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n
.


Y
o
u

m
a
y

c
h
o
o
s
e

t
o

r
e
p
r
o
d
u
c
e

o
r

r
e
d
i
s
t
r
i
b
u
t
e

t
h
i
s

r
e
p
o
r
t

f
o
r

n
o
n
-
c
o
m
m
e
r
c
i
a
l

p
u
r
p
o
s
e
s

i
n

p
a
r
t

o
r

i
n

f
u
l
l

t
o

a
n
y

o
t
h
e
r

p
e
r
s
o
n

w
i
t
h

d
u
e

a
c
k
n
o
w
l
e
d
g
e
m
e
n
t

o
f

P
R
S

L
e
g
i
s
l
a
t
i
v
e

R
e
s
e
a
r
c
h



(

P
R
S

)
.


T
h
e

o
p
i
n
i
o
n
s

e
x
p
r
e
s
s
e
d

h
e
r
e
i
n

a
r
e

e
n
t
i
r
e
l
y

t
h
o
s
e

o
f

t
h
e

a
u
t
h
o
r
(
s
)
.


P
R
S

m
a
k
e
s

e
v
e
r
y

e
f
f
o
r
t

t
o

u
s
e

r
e
l
i
a
b
l
e

a
n
d

c
o
m
p
r
e
h
e
n
s
i
v
e

i
n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n
,

b
u
t

P
R
S

d
o
e
s

n
o
t

r
e
p
r
e
s
e
n
t

t
h
a
t

t
h
e

c
o
n
t
e
n
t
s

o
f

t
h
e

r
e
p
o
r
t

a
r
e

a
c
c
u
r
a
t
e

o
r

c
o
m
p
l
e
t
e
.


P
R
S

i
s

a
n

i
n
d
e
p
e
n
d
e
n
t
,

n
o
t
-
f
o
r
-
p
r
o
f
i
t

g
r
o
u
p
.


T
h
i
s

d
o
c
u
m
e
n
t

h
a
s

b
e
e
n

p
r
e
p
a
r
e
d

w
i
t
h
o
u
t

r
e
g
a
r
d

t
o

t
h
e

o
b
j
e
c
t
i
v
e
s

o
r

o
p
i
n
i
o
n
s

o
f

t
h
o
s
e

w
h
o

m
a
y

r
e
c
e
i
v
e

i
t
.