Good Governance

In the early 2000s, the city of Surat in Gujarat was plagued by poor sanitation, rampant garbage accumulation, and unmanageable filth. These issues came to a head during the plague outbreak in 1994, which brought international attention to Surat’s public health crisis.

In response, S.R. Rao, a dynamic Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, was appointed Municipal Commissioner of Surat. His leadership style and governance approach transformed the city. He implemented several reforms, such as Incentivizing Cleanliness, Modernizing Waste Management, Community Involvement.

The result? Within a few years, Surat transformed from one of India’s dirtiest cities to one of its cleanest, becoming a model for urban governance across the country. The change was driven by Rao’s principles of accountability, transparency, and citizen engagement—hallmarks of good governance.

This transformation in Surat is often cited as a successful example of how good governance, driven by strong leadership and effective policies, can have a transformative impact on society.

What is Good Governance? What are the features of Good Governance? What are its benefits and challenges?

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

• Good Governance implies equal and active participation of civil society at the local level in the work of its community. For eg. Gram Sabha under the 73rd constitutional amendment and social audits under MGNREGA.
• It results in effectiveness and efficiency by the achievement of the desired objectives through the judicious use of existing resources.
• It leads to inclusivity, as the government processes that ensure the interest of all the stakeholders in society are honored which can be seen in the form of Eklavya schools for the inclusive education of the tribal children.
• Good Governance puts an obligation on the government to provide information and justify their decisions to the public leading to accountability. For example, audits by CAG and CPGRAM for lodging consumer grievances.
• It helps in upholding the rule of law, a system where all citizens in the country are accountable to the laws of the country.
• It is in the best interests of society as it is consensus-oriented and considers different people to come to a conclusion and argument.
• It implies a government that is not opaque and its information is disseminated to the public and is transparent. For example, the Right to Information Actas a landmark act to enforce good governance.
• Because of good governance, the quality of responding by Government has increased, leading to responsiveness. For example, CPGRAM aimed at addressing the common man’s grievances.

Characteristics of Good Governance

There are eight essential characteristics of good governance listed by the United Nation (UN).

• Participation: Involving all facets of society in governance is a crucial cornerstone.
• Transparency: This refers to everyone having easy access to information, particularly those who may be impacted by the decisions made.
• Rule of Law: Rule of law ensures the unbiased implementation of equitable legal systems.
• Responsiveness: This suggests that institutions and processes should provide services to all parties involved quickly.
• Consensus-oriented: Consensus-oriented decision-making makes sure that even if everyone does not get all they want, a shared minimum can be reached by all parties that will not be harmful to anyone.
• Inclusion and equity: Effective governance ensures an egalitarian society. Where nobody or any group feels excluded or marginalized.
• Effectiveness and efficiency: Good governance implies that institutions and procedures produce outcomes that satisfy societal needs with available resources.
• Accountability:  It should apply to all parties involved, including the public, the private sector, business, non-profit organizations, and the government.

Benefits of Good Governance

• Enhanced transparency and accountability: Promotes openness in decision-making, ensuring public access to information and reducing corruption.
• Efficient service delivery: Streamlines government processes, improving efficiency in public service delivery, which directly benefits citizens.
• Promotes social justice and inclusivity: Ensures fair treatment and representation of all societal sections, including marginalized and vulnerable groups.
• Encourages sustainable development: Integrates economic, social, and environmental considerations into policies, promoting balanced and long-term growth.
• Builds public trust: By adhering to ethical standards and fairness, good governance fosters trust between citizens and government institutions.
• Supports law and order: Strengthens the rule of law, ensuring justice and equality before the law, which enhances public safety and stability.
• Boosts economic growth: Creates a conducive environment for business, encouraging investment and economic activity, leading to higher GDP growth.
• Reduces inequality: Works towards equitable distribution of resources, which helps reduce the gap between rich and poor.
• Encourages citizen participation: Involves citizens in the decision-making process, empowering them and promoting civic responsibility.
• Increases administrative efficiency: Reduces bureaucratic red tape, making administrative processes more agile and responsive.
• Supports innovation and adaptability: Encourages a culture of adaptability and innovation in governance, which is essential in responding to modern challenges.

Challenges to Good Governance

• Corruption erodes any progress and growth in the system. Extreme criminalization of politics makes it difficult to work efficiently and creates hurdles for good governance.
• Left-wing extremism and insurgency like security threats make it difficult for the government to work efficiently in rural and backward areas and improve governance.
• The poor infrastructure connectivity both digitally and physically in many parts of the country makes good governance difficult.
• Good governance is being negatively impacted by the criminalization of politics and the close alliance between government officials and elected officials.
• The empowerment of women must be ensured in order to guarantee good governance. It is unfair that women are underrepresented in government institutions.
• Another problem is the lack of coordination in the three wings of government, effective coordination. Proper linkages amongst the organs are required for effective functioning.
• There is a lack of public faith in many activities of the government thus good governance cannot be achieved.

Way Forward

• There is a strong need for innovative solutions for better governance and the tech sectors should be encouraged to participate in it.
• Civil society groups like NGOs, women’s growth, cooperatives, trade unions, etc should play an active role to ensure government accountability.
• Citizens must be more vigilant and law-abiding ensuring the true success of governance. They must be given access to information to sufficiently monitor all schemes and state activities.
• There has to be consensus-based decision-making involving the collaborative efforts of the state, civil societies, and other organizations.

The 2nd ARC committee recommendations on citizen-centric administration suggested mandatory social audits for all programs and women’s participation in economic programs. The Committee also recommended suggestion box for all government agencies, capacity building of local bodies, and impact assessment for all the programs at regular intervals.

“Good governance is not about making the right decisions; it’s about empowering people to make decisions that are right for their future.”

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Subject: Governance

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