Chapter focus: meaning and features of good governance, accountability and openness, hindrances to good governance, people’s participation, and the role of computers and information technology.
Section 1 · 24.1–24.2
Meaning and Features of Good Governance
Textbook pp. 257–258
Core Concept / Definition
Governance is defined in the chapter as the use of power and authority by those in government to provide goods and services to the people, uphold the common good and fulfil the aspirations and needs of the common man. It is concerned with power, strategies, policies, plans and projects that aim at improving the substance or quality of life.
Governance becomes good governance when government decisions and actions are based on people’s consent, legitimacy and accountability. The chapter describes it as high-quality governance and connects it with enlightened citizenship, accountable and constitutional government, and development. It is inclusive because it seeks people’s involvement in development and positive because it builds skills, knowledge and support for development.
Features Highlighted in the Chapter
In Kautilya’s scheme, good governance includes law and order, people-caring administration, justice and rationality in decision-making, and corruption-free governance. The chapter also records wider questions raised in discussions of good governance: participation, access to information, accountability of decision-makers, equality of women, attention to poor and disadvantaged people, protection of human rights, concern for future generations and people’s ownership of governance structures.
People-centred: Development is presented as not merely people-oriented but people-centred, involving people in the process.
Minimum cost, maximum result: People expect government to perform its tasks so that maximum results follow with minimum cost or investment.
Section 2 · 24.2.1
Accountability, Openness and Transparency
Textbook pp. 259–260
Accountability
Accountability means that those responsible for governance, especially bureaucracy, should be answerable for what they do or do not do. In a parliamentary system, accountability is sought through questions, debates, discussions, budgetary approvals and committees. The executive is expected to be responsive to people through their representatives.
The chapter also describes judicial review and Public Interest Litigation (PIL) as means through which citizens seek accountability. It identifies the Citizens’ Charter as a more effective mode of public accountability. The charter includes time limits and standards for services, avenues of grievance redressal, and monitoring with independent scrutiny.
Traits of an Accountable Administration
An accountable system is associated with achievement-oriented behaviour, judicious use of authority, pursuit of people’s happiness, reason and experience in decisions, time-bound implementation of policies and plans, strength of character, uprightness, friendliness, firmness and skill-in-action.
Institutional and Administrative Measures
The chapter mentions institutions such as the Central Vigilance Commission, national commissions for women, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, minorities and backward classes, the National Labour Commission, National Human Rights and Minorities commissions, and the Comptroller and Auditor General. These measures seek to reduce bias, corruption, alienation and secrecy and to make administration more sensitive to public demands and grievances.
Other measures named include Management by Objective (MBO), machinery for redress of public grievances, the Right to Information, e-governance and IT use, democratization and decentralisation of power, empowerment of marginalized groups, fair competition between public and private sectors, and review of laws, rules and regulations. The chapter links accountability with openness and transparency: transparent decisions leave less room for favouritism, nepotism and prejudice. It notes that the Right to Information Act was enacted to facilitate openness in government.
Section 3 · 24.3
Hindrances to Good Governance
Textbook pp. 261–262
Three Major Threats
| Hindrance | Textbook explanation | Direction identified in the chapter |
|---|
| Corruption | Illegal use of authority for personal gains; it harms people and government and can take political, economic, moral and administrative forms. | Break harmful nexuses, improve justice and law enforcement, strengthen RTI, simplify procedures, support rule of law and end patronage and nepotism. |
| Population Growth | Rapid growth increases demands on land, air, water, education, health, food, shelter, employment and urban services. | Population stabilisation through education, awareness, health education, people’s involvement and development. |
| Culture of Violence | Strikes, riots and terrorist activities threaten peace and order, development, investment, employment, health, education and human rights. | Deal with the menace through dialogue, redress of genuine grievances, involvement of neighbours and wider international cooperation. |
Corruption: Key Measures
The chapter lists nine measures, including breaking the nexus between politicians, bureaucrats and criminals; ensuring cost-effective administration of justice; making PIL courts available at national, state and local levels; making Right to Information more effective; strengthening law-enforcement agencies; forfeiture of corrupt properties after charges are framed subject to the condition stated in the chapter; simplifying rules and procedures; mobilising society in support of the rule of law; and ending patronage and nepotism in government organisations.
Population Growth and Violence
Population growth is presented as a governance challenge because growing numbers require resources and services. The chapter notes population stabilisation in some states and continuing pressure in others. Culture of violence is treated as a threat to the rule of law and development. The text stresses that peace and order are a first step to development and observes adverse effects of violence and terrorism on investment, employment, health, education and social life.
Section 4 · 24.4.1
People’s Participation for Good Governance
Textbook pp. 263–264
Why Participation Matters
The chapter gives increasing priority to people’s participation in governance. People’s involvement in decision-making and implementation can act as a check on indifferent and inefficient bureaucracy, provide an instrument for responsive and accountable administration, serve as a medium of development administration and self-government, and mobilise local resources for local development.
Ways People Participate
People can participate through social, welfare, interest and pressure groups, political parties, or through service in bureaucracy and government at national, regional or local levels. Governments also involve people through democratic decentralisation such as panchayats and municipalities and through advisory or consultative committees and institutions.
Citizens may organise to demand policies that meet expectations, support people-friendly decisions, oppose anti-people measures and act as opinion makers. Individuals can help resolve conflicts and act as a link between people and bureaucracy by supplying information about public reactions. The chapter notes that education, information, knowledge of government and socio-economic status affect participation, leaving many local people outside governance; it therefore highlights deliberate attempts to include poorer sections.
Inclusion Through Reservation
The chapter points to 33.3% reservation for women in Panchayati Raj and urban local government and reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in proportion to their population as examples of efforts to include poorer and marginalized sections in decision-making and development. It also notes a continuing gap between formal provisions and actual participation in local government.
Section 5 · 24.5
Computers and Information Technology as a Means of Good Governance
Textbook pp. 264–265
Core Role of IT
The chapter presents computers and information technology as effective tools for a governance system that is people-friendly, power-sharing, responsive, accessible, moral, transparent and corruption-free. Their use seeks to improve low-cost service delivery, empowerment through information, openness and transparency, innovation, citizen-administration linkages, and monitoring and assessment.
How Computerisation Helps
Computer systems can give people access to rules, regulations, procedures, welfare schemes and information useful to citizens and farmers. The chapter argues that reducing face-to-face contact between a giver and receiver of a decision can reduce opportunities for corruption. It gives examples such as obtaining land records through a computer and paying bills or taxes without standing in long queues.
Textbook Examples
The Gyandoot Programme in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh is described as providing online registration, land-record copies and an agricultural produce auction centre at nominal cost, along with information on loans, inputs and services. Karnataka is described as using computers for transparency in educational admission and recruitment, teacher transfers and salary payments, monitoring implementation and managing information about social-welfare projects. Kerala’s FRIENDS project is described as providing a range of public services through computers. The Central Government is also described as introducing computerized administration in departments and ministries such as Railways, Human Resource Development, Rural Development, Planning Commission and UGC.
Overall chapter takeaway: Good governance combines people-centred administration with accountability, openness, participation, protection from corruption and effective use of information technology. The chapter identifies corruption, population growth and violence as major hindrances and emphasises people’s participation and computerisation as important means of improvement.