Delivering Good Governance to the Grassroots

Rakesh Kumar Pal

Since time immemorial, the history of India is replete with sagas of good governance. In fact, the concept of 'Ram Rajya' is the epitome of good governance and is certainly the ultimate ambition of any governance mechanism. Before Independent India came into existence, many monarchs tried to implement it across the length and breadth of their kingdoms. After independence, 'Satyamev Jayate' became the eventual dharma and axiom of any elected government. It was also the dream of Mahatma Gandhi that India aspires for ‘Ram Rajya’ by pursuing the path of 'Satyamev Jayate.'

Democracy, which is an outcome of good governance, is not a new thing in India. Many ancient ruling classes followed 'Matrisattatmak' (matriarchal) governing patterns where females were accorded crucial ruling positions. There also, the ultimate goal was to provide Good Governance. On the topic of Good Governance or Sushasan, many epic literary compilations have been made, like-'Shanti Parv' of Maha-bharata, 'Vidur Niti', 'Arthshashtra' by Chanakya, etc.

In the modern era, qualities intrinsic to the concept of Good Governance were largely found in one of the country's most gifted leaders, who is none other than late Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Since 2014, his birth anniversary (25th December), is celebrated as the Good Governance Day or Sushasan Divas throughout the country. Being one of the most revered leaders, Shri Vajpayee remained Prime Minister of India from 1998-2004, during which he showed exemplary commitment to the principles of Good Governance promoting transparency, accountability, and inclusive development. The Good Governance Day gives us an opportunity to delve in to its significance, to explore its historical perspective and to study its impact on the democratic values to bring about an administrative system that is not just inclusive but also upholds the principles of 'Minimum Government Maximum Governance' (MGMG). It is also one of those days when the spirit of democracy becomes en-livened and the efforts to foster good governance globally gets a boost.

The Good Governance Day also gives us an opportunity to focus on economic reforms, infrastructure development and social welfare. The day is an important cog in the wheel as Good Governance is a fundamental element in the progress of a nation. The celebration of Good Governance Day on the birth anniversary of Late Shri Ataj Bihari Vajpayee not only honours his legacy but also aims to propagate the principles he championed.

Institutionalisation of Good Governance Day

Being the nodal department for fostering administrative reforms in the Government of India, Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances (DARPG) organised this annual event. In 2021, the week-long Sushasan Saptah was focused on the theme of 'Prashasan Gaon ki Ore' (village bound administration) observed from December 20-25 as part of the Amrit Mahotsav of Indian independence.

Another important institute that has been founded with the purpose of imparting the ethos of Good Governance among the Civil Servants is the National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG), with its campuses in New Delhi and Mussoorie. NCGG was established in the year 2014 under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. The NCGG works with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to train and foster knowledge exchange and collaboration among Civil Servants from India and other developing countries. The NCGG offers an internship programme that facilitates learning and research in key domains and Capacity Building Programme (CPB) for Good Governance.

One more institute which is working in the field of Good Governance is the Centre for Good Governance (CGG), Hyderabad, which was established in October 2001 by the then Government of Andhra Pradesh in collaboration with the Department for International Development (DFID) and the World Bank to help it achieve the state's goal of Transforming Governance. CGG undertakes action research, provides professional advice, and conducts Change Management programmes for government departments and agencies to enable successful implementation of their reform agenda. CGG works closely with policy-makers like Ministers, senior officials, management experts, institutions and other stake-holders, especially citizens towards building people centric governance practices.

Key Activities

2021: In the year 2021, the Sushasan Saptah witnessed a nation-wide campaign for redressal of public grievances and improving service delivery in all Districts, States, and Union Territories of India. Over 700 District Collectors participated in the campaign and visited tehsils and Panchayat Samiti headquarters.

 On the occasion, Prime Minsiter Shri Narendra Modi observed "In the Amritkaal of Independence, we are marching ahead rapidly to create a transparent system, efficient process and smooth governance to make development all-round and all-inclusive. The Government is committed to strengthening good governance that is pro-people and proactive governance. Guided by the 'citizen-first' approach, we remain untiring in our efforts to further deepen the outreach of our service delivery mechanisms and make them more effective."

In Delhi, the 2021 edition of the Good Governance Week was observed for five days, focusing on governance reforms in key ministries such as Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, External Affairs, and Commerce and Industry. Progress was tracked on a dedicated portal. The Ministry of External Affairs highlighted initiatives like Passport Seva Projects, Vande Bharat mission, and the MADAD Portal. DPIIT conducted a National Workshop on Reducing Compliance Burden, and DOPT organised a workshop on "Mission Karma-yogi- the path ahead." DARPG organised a workshop on "Initiatives for Increasing Efficiency in Decision Making in Central Secretariat." Districts across States/UTs engaged in activities like addressing pen-ding public grievances, updating Citizen’s Charter, and adopting good governance practices. The Good Governance Index 2021, covering 10 sectors and 58 indicators, was released, reflecting the nation's progress in Governance.

2022: On the occasion of the second Sushasan Saptah (Good Governance Week), Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi said, "Our vision is to expand the service delivery mechanisms and make them more effective. Technology has immense potential to bring government and citizens closer. Today, technology has become a powerful tool to empower citizens as well as a medium to optimise transparency and accountability in day to day functioning. Through various policy interventions, we are strongly marching ahead toward digital empowerment of citizens and digital transformation of institutions. The people have resolved to build a glorious and selfreliant India during Amrit Kaal of next 25 years. The Government's role is to complement the people's resolve by being an enabler in their efforts. Our role is to increase opportunities and remove obstacles from their path."

On December 19, 2022, Dr. Jitendra Singh, Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions launched the second nationwide campaign, 'Prashasan Gaonki Ore,' with the participation of 2700 officials, including District Collectors, Chief Secretaries, and Senior Officials from States/UTs and Central Ministries/Departments. Emphasising the importance of Good Governance, he high-lighted the need for continuous efforts to provide citizens with effective governance, considering the evolving needs and societal and technological changes. On the occasion, an exhibition was also organised at Vigyan Bhavan showcasing the government's pursuit of excellence in institutionalising cleanliness and reducing pendency. This exhibition presented the outcomes of Special Campaign 2.0 conducted in October 2022. District Level Workshops were conducted on December 23, 2022, across all 768 districts of India, focusing on innovations and envisioning India@2047, with strong support from Chief Ministers and LGs who expressed their endorse-ment through regular messages and tweets.

Good Governance Index

Good Governance Day celebrations is marked by release of the Good Governance Index (GCI)- An Assessment of the State of Governance in States and UT's.

Good Governance is the key component of the economic transformation and with the present government's focus on 'minimum government and maximum governance' the Biannual Index assumes more significance. GGI is a comprehensive and implementable framework to assess the State of Governance across the States and UTs which enables ranking of States/ Districts. The objective of GGI is to create a tool which can be used uniformly across the states to assess impact of various interventions taken up by the Central and State Governments including UTs. Based on the GGI Framework, the Index provides a comparative picture among the States while developing competitive spirit for improvement.

GGI Framework has been kept flexible for improvements/ revisions based on the need. The GGI framework encompasses both qualitative and quantitative aspects of Governance, although for computation of the index, quantitative indicators are factored and a complete framework of qualitative, input and process-based indicators is included in a new chapter introduced in GGI 2020-21. The GGI 2019 encompassed 10 Governance Sectors and 50 Governance Indicators. For GGI 2020-21, same 10 Governance Sectors were retained while Indicators have been revised to 58.

Conclusion

In a democracy, good governance is the soul of the Government. It has been rightly said that there is no such thing as bad governance; there could only be anarchy. Any Governance could turn into bad governance if the activities and manpower directed towards the welfare mechanism of the people lose their impetus and efficacy. 

Good Governance is no longer a luxury but necessity. Key aspects like citizen’s involvement, institutionalising of good governance, capacity building of the manpower looking after the governance, facets of equity and inclusiveness, zeal to overcome bureaucratic challenges and the capacity to use technology as an enabler are a few characteristics that the government of the day must espouse for taking Good Governance to the grassroots.

The author works in the Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances, Govt. of India as ALIO and is actively associated with the prestigious, “PM Award for Excellence in Public Administration”.

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