Governance In Indian Perspective

In the last two decades, one of the most abundant words in Indias political lexicon
is Governance. Intellectuals and brain workers keeps on chanting about
Governance whenever they talk about Growth or development. In the present
globalised world Governance is what implementation of every public policy and
economic initiative depends upon.
Well, now if I go on chanting about Governance with the same fashion as our
eminent intellectuals do, I will fall in the same league of beaten rhetoric and you will
just close the article for reading later (and will never come back). So to get rid of
this lacuna I will just go for a point by point introduction of Governances various
aspects and will try to cover that with an Indian angle. So here we go,
What is Governance?
There are lots of meaning and interpretation. In short, Its the way the government
should function in providing its citizens the basic amenities while ensuring territorial
integrity, rule of Law and Individual Safety and freedom.
When the concept of Governance was generated?
It is a comparatively new concept than most of the political and government
related concepts. Even only few might have heard about Governance in late
1980.The term was first used by World bank in a report on sub-Saharan Africa in
1989.
Why actually World Bank came up with the concept of Governance ?
What actually WTO did was to shift the focus from Government to Governance and
thereby reducing the role of Government. It actually was a part of Neo-liberal
ascendance in Economic Theory and public policy from 1970 in the west. This was
the point when Privatization and Liberalization became the new slogan of effective
government. To tell the truth in undiplomatic manner, the term Governance was
coined by WTO primarily to spread the propaganda of Liberalization and to minimize
the state intervention in Economic affairs.
When did Governance entered into Indian policy making ?
Governance made the Indian entry after 1991 economic reform. When the ideas of
Privatization and liberalization entered into India, obviously the governance also
started creeping into the Indian policy making. Even questions started to poured on
the relevance of process of planning as planning is a comparatively more socialistic
approach then neo- liberal one. In eighth five year planning (1992-1997) the role of
Public sector enterprises were reevaluated and it was decided to provide more
exposure to private sector by minimizing the role of PSUs in production process.

Since then the mode of Governance was activated in India along with economic
reforms which got more impetus in following days.

How Governance proceeded in India ?

For smooth functioning of Liberalization there are certain conditions which must be
met. These conditions sound very supportive of a welfare state. Lets not go into the
functioning of them in real field. We will stick here with the ideal condition as this is
not an analytical piece.
Governance in Indian Scenario is not very bleak. Though Governance
usually vouch for reducing the role of Government, in Indian Scenario the picture is
not like that. India needs a strong government to implement Governance. Though
the newly elected PM Narendra Modi gave the slogan of Minimum Government,
Maximum Governance, in reality its not a very practical approach in Indian
conditions which he understood later.
Steps to ensure Good Governance?
Instead of getting rid of Government interventions, Good Governance need
Governments active participation in ensuring the nations citizens their legitimate
rights, freedom and equality of opportunity. Some of the basic qualities for ensuring
Good Governance in Indian
i)
ii)
iii)
iv)
v)
vi)
vii)
viii)
ix)

Equal and just participation of citizens in the process of choosing, monitoring

and changing government.
Healthy interaction and co-operation among administration, legislature and
judiciary.
Governments ability and active involvement in implementing public policy.
Ensuring peoples participation and feedback in administrative processes and
make administration accountable to the stakeholders.
Eradication of poverty and Unemployment among the mass
Ensuring Sustainable development by resisting Environment degradation and
climate change.
Effective handling of internal security issues like Naxalism and home grown
terrorism.
Ensuring transparency and accountability of the government machinery to
the common citizens.
Ensuring Strict measures to tackle the menace of Corruptions both in
administrative as well as corporate level.

Summing up
Whatever may have the original doctrines of Governance suggested about its
implications, in Indian conditions following them by cutting off the governments
role is impossible. A strong and accountable Government is a prerequisite in any
kind of reform or development initiative in India. Ensuring growth and better
freedom of business houses is important to match the international market. But
India cannot do business at the stake of crushing common toiling masss interests .
A country where poverty, education, food crisis are still very much prevalent,
talking about reducing government intervention and minimum government is not
only impractical but also shows the lack of understanding of the decision makers on
ground reality. A country where still farmers commit suicide in thousands every year
due to poverty, where most of the people do not get two times food to eat ;
dissolving or weakening flagship programmes like MGNREGA or food security which
atleast try to ensure food for poor might proved to be a fatal mistake. During policy
making we shouldnot forget by whom the government is, for whom the governance
is..