As we celebrate Good Governance Day on December 25, the birth anniversary of my mentor and former Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji, I recollect with admiration the visionary leadership of Sardar Patel who shaped the country’s higher civil service and laid the foundation for people-centred good governance. His advice to the Indian Administrative Service officers in 1947 rings true even today: “Your predecessors were brought up in the traditions in which they kept themselves aloof from the common run of the people. It will be your bounden duty to treat the common men in India as your own”. Putting people at the centre of governance architecture, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has altered the vocabulary of good governance through his clarion call to “reform, perform and transform”.
The development canvas has changed vastly in the last 10 years and governance has acquired a salience that it probably did not have earlier. The context has also changed. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Viksit Bharat Sankalp yatra on December 11, 2023. It is a defining moment in Bharat’s historical journey — a nation of 1.4 billion is dreaming big. It wishes to become a $5 trillion economy, have state-of-the-art infrastructure, provide its citizens equitable access to high-quality education and healthcare facilities, enhance livelihood opportunities and enlarge the range of income-generating activities for its youth and women, enthuse entrepreneurs and investors through an investor-friendly ecosystem to generate wealth and employment. It’s a nation that does not want anyone to be left out of its growth story.
Over the last few years, the government has placed unprecedented trust in the enormous capability of its people and has launched programmes which were successful because of people’s participation. This is a government that could visualise swatchta or cleanliness as a people’s movement. Janbhagidari or public participation has become the key principle of programme implementation. People, as agents of change, are increasingly being empowered to access information and knowledge to transform their lives for the better.
Sushasan or good governance has become the most promising pathway for societal transformation, for converting the gains of freedom, swarajya, for the establishment of a well-governed state or surajya. The Prime Minister has led this transformational journey, articulating the framework of inclusive development as “Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikaas, Sabka Vishwaas” (Support for all, Development of all and winning the confidence of all) to which was added the element of responsible citizenship and participative development through “Sabka Prayaas” (Efforts of all).
In an interview to The Financial Times on December 21, Prime Minister Modi said that “our nation is on the cusp of a take-off”. The string of achievements is remarkable — from alleviating poverty to combating pandemics, from a national mission to strengthen foundational literacy and numeracy to creating world-class universities, from a massive financial inclusion programme to an impactful health insurance scheme, from a steadily expanding modern rail and aviation sector to spectacular space missions, from path breaking advances in technology and pharmaceuticals to nurturing sports talent.
The path ahead is, undoubtedly, challenging. We have to be mindful of the fault lines, the areas that require more intense attention, the strategies that need midcourse correction and some that need fine-tuning. We must relook at governance systems and streamline them to make them more effective.
The transformation will require a critical appraisal of existing laws, rules and procedures — making them as people-friendly and transparent as possible. This reform process has received the personal attention of our country’s leadership and many archaic laws have been repealed, some have been simplified and quite a few pieces of legislation have been enacted.
Good governance is possible if every government functionary is clear about the goals he or she has to achieve and knows her or his role as well as the time frame in which the tasks are expected to be completed. Constant enhancement of the capacity of functionaries is essential. The managerial style and administrative leadership have to be revamped to facilitate this competence-building and motivation-enhancing process rather than relying on traditional command and control functions. Leaders must develop the art of listening. Teamwork, collaboration, mutual respect, empathy and probity are traits that need to be internalised.
The system must be agile and collect credible data, analyse areas for correction and improvement and act swiftly upon evidence. This requires a mindset that values openness, honesty, reflection and consultation, and works towards constant improvement.
Delivery is key. The last mile is the most difficult to reach but that’s the ultimate test of our systemic strength. The low-hanging fruits are easy. We should not be satisfied with initial success. Leaving no one behind and ensuring that we achieve growth with equity is crucial for social harmony and sustainable development.
PM Modi has demonstrated that technology can be leveraged to reach out effectively to the marginalised and cut transaction costs and petty corruption. The Direct Benefit Transfer is one example of the creative use of technology in improving last-mile delivery.
In a few weeks, we shall be inaugurating a new temple at Ayodhya to Lord Ram, a king who, in our collective consciousness, exemplifies the values of good governance — truth, righteousness, respect for people’s voice and collaborative endeavour. There are many examples of good governance in Bharat’s long history. We must draw inspiration from them and ensure that governance systems are dedicated to creating a society that cares, shares and grows, that is not shy of admitting its shortcomings and is bold enough to overcome them. Let us usher in Viksit Bharat @2047 through Sushasit Bharat.
The writer is former vice president of India
