Particulars of facilities available to citizens for obtaining information, including the working hours of library cum reading room maintained for public.

The Board has been awarded with ISO 9001:2000 certification by M/S. DNV, Amsterdam with effect from 19 th March, 2004 for implementation of quality management systems. Tobacco Board continually reviews Quality Policy and quality objectives and improves them to the satisfaction of the customer requirements.

The Board, has introduced Citizen's Charter to help the growers and the trade get best possible services from the Board. A task force has been constituted in Tobacco Board to over see the formulation of the Citizen's Charter. The Secretary, Tobacco Board is designated as Nodal Officer for the same.

An exclusive Farmers' Portal has been set up to make available information like live auction prices, weather data, plantation techniques, curing methods. The Portal Provides information on various extension schemes, cost of production and auction prices of various FCV and Non-FCV tobacco in overseas markets, an online interaction between growers and technically competent committee to advice the growers in various activities etc. Various questions raised by the growers are answered through Farmers Portal within 5 working days.

Tobacco Board has a library in its Head Quarters at Guntur. It is open for public from 9.00 A.M to 6.00 P.M in all working days.

The following are the benchmarks for delivery of services to its customers within a defined time framework:

•  Register Growers, Barn operators and Commercial Nursery Growers within 5 working days of submission of eligible application.

•  Enumeration of barns 5 days prior to starting of Registration process.

•  Registration process time for traders is 30 days from the date of finalizing criteria subject to their eligibility.

•  Intimation of rejection of Registration applications to the traders with in 30 days.

•  At least 5 training programmes will be conducted every year for the growers and Field staff in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, as per the time schedule given below:

•  Complete soil/water tests and pass on test results to the Auction Superintendents, within 60 days of receipt of soil/water samples by the laboratories for taking necessary action.

•  Supply of pure seed to the growers in Karnataka by the end of February and to the growers in Andhra Pradesh by the end of July.

•  Receipt of payment from the traders within 10 days of purchase of tobacco on the auction platforms.

•  Payment of sale proceeds to growers within 15 days of sale of tobacco.

•  Redressal of grievances within 15 days from date of receipt of complaint.

•  Issue of GSP certificate to exporters on the same working day of submission of the same in complete form.

•  Issue of RCMC certificate to exporters with in 5 working days of submission of eligible application.

•  Issue of Visa Recommendation letter to exporters on promotion of exports of Indian tobacco within 2 working days of submission of eligible applications.

•  Issue of “NO OBJECTION Certificate” for sending samples to abroad for promotion of Indian tobacco with in 2 working days of submission of eligible application.

•  At least one yearly inspection of all the godowns of trade, and verification of stocks by the designated officials.

To measure the satisfaction of customers, feed back formats are collected at least from 5% of growers and traders during every season is taken up.