As I reflect on the annual celebration of Good Governance Day on December 25, the birth anniversary of my mentor and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, I recollect with admiration the visionary leadership of Sardar Patel, who shaped the higher civil services and laid the foundation for people-centred 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.” By putting people at the centre of the governance architecture, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has altered the grammar of good governance through his call to “reform, perform and transform”.
The prime minister launched the Viksit Bharat Sankalp yatra on December 11. It is a defining moment in Bharat’s historical journey as our country renews its commitment to be a developed country by 2047, a 100 years after it became independent. It is a resolve built on the foundation of 75 years of ceaseless toil and the newfound confidence and enhanced competence assiduously nurtured during the last 10 years.
It is a nation that is dreaming big. A nation of 1.4 billion dreams. It’s a nation that wishes to become a 5-trillion-dollar economy, wants to have state-of-the-art infrastructure, provide its citizens equitable access to high-quality education and healthcare, enhance livelihood opportunities and enlarge the range of income-generating activities for its youth and women, and 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 development story.
Over the last few years, the government has placed unprecedented trust in the enormous capability of its people and has launched a number of programmes which have been quite successful because of people’s participation. This is a government that could visualise swachhata or cleanliness as a people’s movement. Janbhagidari or public participation has become the key principle of programme implementation.
In this paradigm of people-centred development, sushasan or good governance has become the most promising pathway for societal transformation for converting the gains of freedom or swarajya to the establishment of a well-governed state or surajya. The prime minister has tenaciously led this journey from the front, articulating the framework of inclusive development as “Sabka saath, 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 a recent interview, the prime minister said, “Our nation is on the cusp of a take-off.” The country’s rapid strides in various aspects of development have given us the power to reach this cusp. The string of achievements is truly impressive—from alleviating poverty to combating pandemics, from a national mission to strengthen foundation 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 pathbreaking 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, some strategies that need mid-course correction and some policies that need fine-tuning.
The transformation we are envisaging is possible only through a critical appraisal of existing laws, rules and procedures and making them as people-friendly as possible, as transparent and demystified as possible, and conveyed in a user-friendly format in a language people understand. I am glad that this reform has received the personal attention of our country’s leadership and many of the archaic laws have been repealed, some have been simplified and quite a few new legislations have been enacted.
Good governance is possible if every functionary in government is clear about the goals he or she has to achieve and her or his role in achieving the goals, as well as the time frame in which the tasks are expected to be completed. This goal and role clarity would be the first step. Constant capacity enhancement of functionaries through coaching and mentoring is essential. The managerial style and administrative leadership have to be revamped to facilitate this process rather than relying on the traditional command-and-control functions. The leaders must develop the art of listening to the people the government is seeking to serve; it enhances trust in government so essential in a democratic polity. Teamwork, collaboration, mutual respect, empathy and probity are traits that need to be internalised. The work ethos has to be reshaped to let these qualities bloom.
The governance system must be an agile, learning organisation, collecting credible data, analysing areas for correction and swiftly acting upon the evidence. This requires a mindset that values openness, honesty, reflection, consultation and working towards constant improvement.
If the pace of development has to be accelerated, we cannot have a business-as-usual approach. Governance has to be fit for purpose. 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 just that initial success. Leaving no one behind and ensuring that we achieve growth with equity is crucial for social harmony and sustainable, peaceful development.
PM Modi has demonstrated that technology can be leveraged for reaching out effectively to marginalised populations and cut transaction costs and petty corruption. Direct benefit transfer is one example of creative use of technology in improving last mile delivery.
In a few weeks’ time, we shall be inaugurating a new temple for Lord Ram at Ayodhya, a king who, in our collective consciousness, exemplifies the values of good governance—truth, righteousness, respect for people’s voice, collaborative endeavour to undertake challenging missions. There are many examples of good governance in Bharat’s long history. We must draw inspiration from those examples and define the new governance systems that will ensure that we walk the path of dedication doing everything possible to create a society that cares, shares and grows, that is not shy of admitting its shortcomings and is bold enough to overcome them, that constantly reflects upon the impact of our decisions and actions on our planet, our quality of life and the quality of life of fellow human beings. Let us usher in Viksit Bharat in 2047 through sushasit Bharat.
M Venkaiah Naidu, Former Vice President of India