GOOD GOVERNANCE
According to UNESCAP, Good governance means processes and institutions that produce results which meet the needs of society while making the best use of resources at their disposal.
Features of Good Governance:
- Participation: This principle implies the active and equal participation of civil society at the local level in the work of its community. Examples: People Participation
- Gram Sabha: under the 73rd Constitutional amendment act
- Gujarat Bank of Wisdom: To participate and post advice to government officials on chat
- Social Audits: Under MGNREGS
- Public Interest Litigation (PIL): Any public or person can seek remedy on behalf of the oppressed class by introducing a PIL.
- Responsiveness: The quality of reacting quickly and positively. Examples:
- PRAGATI: The platform is aimed at addressing the common man’s grievances
- Shramik Trains: for the migrant workers during the COVID Pandemic
- Operation Sankat Mochan: Evacuate citizens from South Sudan
- Vande Bharat Mission: Evacuated Indians who were stranded due to COVID Pandemic.
- Consensus Oriented: It considers different people to come to an agreement for the best interests of a community. Examples:
- Public Hearing: Environmental Public hearing in EIA
- National Educational Policy 2020: Result of consensus built among stakeholders
- Referendum for BREXIT in the UK
- Right to Recall: For removal and re-election of local level leaders in various states in India
- Transparency: Governance that is not opaque and its information is disseminated to the public. Examples:
- Asset declaration: By MPs within 90 days of taking a seat in Parliament.
- The Right to Information Act: A landmark act to enforce good governance through transparency.
- SETU Centres: To deliver government services to citizens in Maharashtra.
- Jansuchna Portal: Rajasthan initiative for proactive disclosure of information.
- Rule of Law: The system where all citizens, entities, and organizations in a country are accountable to the laws promulgated in the country. Examples:
- Abolishing of the Triple Talaq
- Karnataka’s Anti-superstition law: Established law above superstitions.
- Sabarimala: Removal of ban on women entry at Sabarimala temple.
- Article 21: Protects individuals from arbitrary actions and only through procedures established by law.
- Effectiveness and Efficiency: Achievement of desired objectives by judicious use of resources. Examples:
- Public Finance Management System: Establishes an efficient fund flow system as well as a payment cum accounting network.
- Removal of 1200+ old redundant laws.
- Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code: For efficient resolution of corporate insolvencies.
- e-Dhara: For computerized land records.
- UMANG App: Provides access to central and state government services.
- Accountability: It is an obligation of the government, its agencies, and public officials to provide information and justify their decisions and actions to the public and other institutions. Accountability can be divided into two parts: internal and external. Examples:
- Audits: Compliance and performance audit by CAG.
- INGRAM: For lodging consumer grievances.
- Section 4, RTI: Deals with proactive disclosure of information.
- Digitisation: Helps in service delivery and maintains a clear trail of transactions.
- Inclusivity: Government processes that ensure the interests of all stakeholders in society are honored. Examples:
- Digital North East Vision 2022: For digital empowerment of this neglected region.
- Van Dhan Scheme: For economic development of tribals engaged in the collection of minor food produce.
- Eklavya Schools: For inclusive education of tribal children.
- E-courts: Extends the judiciary to the doorstep.
- PM WANI: Enhances digital presence.
Benefits of Good Governance
- Economic and Business Impact
- Better business environment: Ensures more investor interest in the economy and boosts economic growth.
- Cost-saving: Improves accountability and reduces leakages in public expenditure.
- Increased incomes: Positive correlation between per capita incomes and good governance.
- Attracting FDI: Healthy governance regimes improve credit and attract more investment from foreign countries.
- Better execution: Projects are not hindered by red-tapism and bureaucratic hindrances.
- Social and Citizenry Impact
- Better Welfare: Welfare is more inclusive and consolidated.
- Inclusivity: Ensures all communities are on board and minimizes marginalization.
- Employment: Creates new opportunities in both government and private sectors.
- Infrastructure: Effective and efficient development of roads, bridges, power, telecom, airports, irrigation, and transport.
- Education: Government-provided education facilities improve employability.
- Better public safety: Efficient safety and surveillance ensures improved public safety.
- Political and Government Impact
- Better public faith: The government enjoys better trust of the people ensuring stability.
- Reduction of burden: Reduces the government’s burden in administration as good governance improves outcomes.
- Transparency: Reduces scams and corruption within the system.
- Improves political efficiency: Bureaucracy and administration work better and at a faster rate with healthy governance practices.
- Environmental Impact
- Better utilization: Reduces negative impacts through judicious use of resources.
- Better compliance: Ensures compliance with environmental laws and regulations.
- Reduces negative impact: Reduces environmental impacts of disasters caused by human actions; increases environmental security.
- Psychological and Individual Impact
- Morale: Efficient governance ensures better morale among people and improves overall happiness.
- Standard of living: Enhances the standard of living.
Challenges to Good Governance
- Political
- Criminalisation of Politics: Extreme criminal nexus in political circles creates hurdles for good governance.
- Corruption: Erodes any progress and growth in a system.
- Population: High population growth impedes state capabilities to govern efficiently.
- Lack of coordination: Requires effective functioning of the executive, legislature, and judiciary and building appropriate linkages among these organs.
- Left-Wing Extremism: Internal terrorism threats plague tribal and rural areas, making governance ineffective in such regions.
- Access to Justice: Legal proceedings often face challenges due to their cost and complex nature. Example: Around 4 crore cases pending in the higher judiciary.
- Economic
- Poor Infrastructure: Poor digital and physical connectivity in many areas impedes good governance.
- Lack of private sector participation: Good governance should include private organizations, which often do not comply.
- Welfarist-Capitalist Imbalance: This dichotomy makes investors wary of India’s true economic stance.
- Not effective fiscal decentralization: Local bodies generate only around 5% of their funds while the rest depends on state and central funds.
- Social
- Lack of public education: Impedes the uptake of new policies.
- Lack of trust: There is a lack of public faith in many state activities.
- Communalism: Disharmony among groups leads to mismatches in governance.
- Rural-Urban divide: This divide often leads to inequality where urban areas are better facilitated than rural ones.
- Citizen hostility: If citizens are hostile or lack faith in the government, good governance cannot be achieved.
Way Forward
- Government-Related
- Reducing Corruption: To ensure better outcomes.
- Breaking the criminal nexus: Politicians with criminal antecedents must be removed from holding higher offices.
- Empowering laws: Rather than diluting laws like RTI, they must be strengthened.
- Innovation: Tech sectors must participate in offering solutions for better governance.
- Electoral Reforms: State funding of elections with good accounting practices has often been seen as making the election a level playing field.
- Financial Review Mechanisms: Public Expenditure Review meetings should be organized periodically at the village, subdistrict, and district levels to ensure proper utilization of funds.
- Fiscal Federalism: Local bodies must be empowered fiscally to function independently and in a self-reliant manner.
- Citizen-Related
- Obedience to Law: Citizens must be more observant and law-abiding to ensure the true success of governance.
- Civil Society: Civil groups like NGOs, women’s groups, trade unions, cooperatives, guilds, and faith organizations should play an active role in ensuring government accountability.
- Public Education: Removes prejudices and improves inclusivity.
- Collaborative Decision Making: State decisions must be based on consensus with civil society and other entities.
- Citizen-led Monitoring: Citizens must be given access to information to sufficiently monitor all schemes and state activities.
Recommendations of 2nd ARC Committee on Citizen-Centric Administration
- Impact Assessments: Impact assessments should be carried out for all programs at periodic intervals.
- Delegation of Authority: Governments should delegate responsibilities to lower state units for a targeted approach and decentralization of authority.