GOVERNANCE
4. citizens charters, transparency & accountability
and institutional and other measures., ROLE OF CIVIL
SERVICE IN DEMOCRACY
Citizen centric
Past initiatives
Some of the generic reform initiatives towards citizen centric administration are:
On the basis of recommendations made by the Committee on Prevention of Corruption, popularly known as
the Santhanam Committee, the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) was set up by the Government of India
in 1964.
The first Administrative Reforms Commission had recommended the setting up of the Lok Pal. After the
recommendations of the first Administrative Reforms Commission, many States have constituted
‘Lokayuktas’.
Review of Administrative Laws which include unification & harmonization of statues, laws, etc.
Citizens’ Charters: According to it, each organization should spell out the services it has to perform and then
specify the standards/norms for these services. Once this is done then the organisation can be held to account
if the service standards are not met.
e-Governance: Information and communication technology facilitates efficient storing and retrieval of data,
instantaneous transmission of information, processing information and data faster than the earlier manual
systems, speeding up governmental processes, taking decisions expeditiously and judiciously, increasing
transparency and enforcing accountability.
Computerised Grievances Redressal Mechanisms: A Computerized Public Grievances Redressal and
Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) were installed in the Department of AR&PG. All the grievances received
are entered in this system and processed.
Right to Information: In recognition of the need for transparency in public affairs, the Indian Parliament
enacted the Right to Information Act, 2005.
Concept of Citizen Centric Administration
The concept of good governance is not new. Kautilya in his treatise Arthashastra elaborated the traits of the king of
a well governed State thus: "in the happiness of his subjects lays his happiness, in their welfare his welfare,
whatever pleases himself, he does not consider as good, but whatever pleases his subjects he considers as good"
,Perceptions about Governance in India
Public administration in India is generally perceived to be unresponsive, insensitive and corrupt. "For the common
man, bureaucracy denotes routine and repetitive procedures, paper work and delays. This, despite the fact that the
Government and bureaucracy exist to facilitate the citizens in the rightful pursuit of their legal activities , rigidities
of the system over centralization of powers, highly hierarchical and top down method of functioning with a large
number of intermediary levels, delaying finalization of any decision, divorce of authority from accountability and
the tendency towards micromanagement, have led to a structure in which form is more important than substance
and procedures are valued over end results and outcomes. Non-performance of the administrative structures, poor
service quality and lack of responsiveness, and the subjective and negative abuse of authority have eroded trust in
governance systems which needs to be restored urgently."
Barriers to Good Governance
• Attitudinal Problems of the Civil Servants
There is a growing concern that the Civil Services and administration in general, have become wooden, inflexible,
self-perpetuating and inward looking. Consequently, their attitude is one of indifference and insensitivity to the
needs of citizens. is, coupled with the enormous asymmetry in the wielding of power at all levels, has further
aggravated the situation. The end result is that officers perceive themselves as dispensing favours to citizens rather
than serving them and given the abject poverty, illiteracy, etc. a culture of exaggerated deference to authority has
become the norm.
• Lack of Accountability
A common reason usually cited for inefficiency in governance is the inability within the system to hold the Civil
Services accountable for their actions. Seldom are disciplinary proceedings initiated against delinquent government
servants and imposition of penalties is even more rare. This is primarily because at most levels authority is
divorced from accountability leading to a system of realistic and plausible alibis. Cumbersome disciplinary
procedures have added to the general apathy towards discipline in Government. Moreover the safeguards provided
,to civil servants, - which were well intentioned - have often been misused. Another reason for lack of
accountability is that performance evaluation systems within government have not been effectively structured. e
complacency that the system breeds has resulted in employees adopting an apathetic or lackadaisical attitude
towards citizens and their grievances.
• Red Tapism
Bureaucracies the world over are expected to adhere to rules and procedures which are, of course, important for
good governance. However, at times, these rules and procedures are ab-initio ill conceived and cumbersome and,
therefore, do not serve their purpose. Also, government servants sometimes become overly pre- occupied with rules
and procedures and view these as an end in themselves.
• Low levels of Awareness of the Rights and Duties of Citizens
Inadequate awareness about their rights prevents citizens from holding erring government servants to account.
Similarly, low levels of compliance of Rules by the citizens also acts as an impediment to good governance; when
citizens do not adhere to their duties they infringe on the freedom and rights of other citizens. Thus, awareness of
rights and adherence to duties are two sides of the same coin. A vigilant citizenry, fully aware of its rights as well
its duties, is perhaps the best way to ensure that officials as well as other citizens, discharge their duties effectively
and honestly.
• Ineffective Implementation of Laws and Rules
There is a large body of laws in the country, each legislated with different objectives - maintaining public order and
safety, maintaining sanitation and hygiene, protecting rights of citizens, giving special protection to the vulnerable
sections etc. Effective implementation of these laws creates an environment which would improve the welfare of
all citizens and at the same time, encourage each citizen to contribute his best towards the development of society.
On the other hand, weak implementation can cause a great deal of hardship to citizens and even erode the faith of
the citizenry in the government machinery.
Steps to be taken
• Sound Legal Framework - A dynamic society requires constant updating of existing laws as also enactment of
new laws to meet emergent needs and challenges so that the welfare, protection and development needs of citizens
is fully met. In fact, the Law Commission has inter alia been given the responsibility to examine existing laws to
ensure their relevance to present-day needs and requirements.
• Robust Institutional Mechanism for Establishing Rule of Law - The country has, over the years, created and
sustained strong and effective institutional mechanisms to ensure that the rule of law is maintained and the rights of
our citizens are well protected and human dignity upheld. Some of these institutions have been established in our
Constitution and others through statutes and executive orders.
• Competent and Dedicated Workforce - A sound legal system and a robust institutional mechanism need to be
buttressed by ensuring that competent and motivated personnel run the system in order to provide a vibrant citizen
centric administration.
• Decentralization, Delegation and Accountability - The citizen-sovereign- consumer must exercise as much
authority as practicable, and delegate upward the rest of the functions which require economies of scale,
technological and managerial capacity or collective amenities.The principle of subsidiarity stipulates: functions
shall be carried out closest to citizens at the smallest unit of governance possible and delegated upwards only when
, the local unit cannot perform the task
• Transparency and Right to Information - Transparency and Right to Information are an essential pre-condition for
good governance.
• Accountability - Accountability means answerability i.e. questions asked of public officials have to be answered
by them.
• Focus on Outcomes - Evaluation and Monitoring Monitoring and evaluation are important managerial functions
in any organization.
• Grievance Redressal Mechanisms - In a welfare State like India, citizens have a variety of interactions with the
Government in its myriad forms - as a service provider, a regulator, as a provider of social and physical
infrastructure etc. Meeting the expectations of the citizens is a challenging task for any Government
• Active Citizens' Participation - Information Dissemination, Mechanisms, Target Group Consultation . Promoting
citizen centric administration also implies giving a voice to citizens in the governance process. At the local
community level, citizens as stakeholders can directly participate in decision making.
• Process Simplification - Simplifying transactions focuses on adoption of Single Window Approach, minimizing
hierarchial tiers, up- dating and simplification of existing department manuals and codes etc. needs to be brought to
the centre- stage of administrative reforms.
Functions of government
All governments perform a wide range of functions. These functions could be classified as follows:
Self-preservation – The authority of the State needs to be preserved both from external aggression and
internal disturbances. Government discharges this function by raising and maintaining a national army, a
police force and other enforcement agencies and empowering these agencies through legislations.
Supervision and resolution of conflicts – Strengthening of democratic practices and processes, ensuring
equity to all citizens, setting up of conflict resolution mechanisms and fair governance are some ways for
minimization of conflicts.
Socio-economic development – Enactment and effective enforcement of laws, assuring welfare of the
weaker sections, bringing about desirable social change are some measures which governments adopt to
bring about socio-economic development.
Regulation of the economy – This has emerged as one of the most important functions of government.
Adopting sound fiscal and monetary policies is one of the major duties of a government.
Provision of goods and services – With increasing emphasis on socio-economic development, governments
today are major providers of different types of goods and services such as education, health, public
distribution of food grains etc.
The functions of a government could be broadly categorized as follows:
A. Regulatory Functions:
The Commission recommended:
Regulation only where necessary: It has been argued that India is an over-regulated country, but many of the
regulations are not implemented in right earnest.
Regulation to be effective: One of the consequences of a large number of regulations has been their poor
enforcement. Social legislations are classic examples of this.
4. citizens charters, transparency & accountability
and institutional and other measures., ROLE OF CIVIL
SERVICE IN DEMOCRACY
Citizen centric
Past initiatives
Some of the generic reform initiatives towards citizen centric administration are:
On the basis of recommendations made by the Committee on Prevention of Corruption, popularly known as
the Santhanam Committee, the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) was set up by the Government of India
in 1964.
The first Administrative Reforms Commission had recommended the setting up of the Lok Pal. After the
recommendations of the first Administrative Reforms Commission, many States have constituted
‘Lokayuktas’.
Review of Administrative Laws which include unification & harmonization of statues, laws, etc.
Citizens’ Charters: According to it, each organization should spell out the services it has to perform and then
specify the standards/norms for these services. Once this is done then the organisation can be held to account
if the service standards are not met.
e-Governance: Information and communication technology facilitates efficient storing and retrieval of data,
instantaneous transmission of information, processing information and data faster than the earlier manual
systems, speeding up governmental processes, taking decisions expeditiously and judiciously, increasing
transparency and enforcing accountability.
Computerised Grievances Redressal Mechanisms: A Computerized Public Grievances Redressal and
Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) were installed in the Department of AR&PG. All the grievances received
are entered in this system and processed.
Right to Information: In recognition of the need for transparency in public affairs, the Indian Parliament
enacted the Right to Information Act, 2005.
Concept of Citizen Centric Administration
The concept of good governance is not new. Kautilya in his treatise Arthashastra elaborated the traits of the king of
a well governed State thus: "in the happiness of his subjects lays his happiness, in their welfare his welfare,
whatever pleases himself, he does not consider as good, but whatever pleases his subjects he considers as good"
,Perceptions about Governance in India
Public administration in India is generally perceived to be unresponsive, insensitive and corrupt. "For the common
man, bureaucracy denotes routine and repetitive procedures, paper work and delays. This, despite the fact that the
Government and bureaucracy exist to facilitate the citizens in the rightful pursuit of their legal activities , rigidities
of the system over centralization of powers, highly hierarchical and top down method of functioning with a large
number of intermediary levels, delaying finalization of any decision, divorce of authority from accountability and
the tendency towards micromanagement, have led to a structure in which form is more important than substance
and procedures are valued over end results and outcomes. Non-performance of the administrative structures, poor
service quality and lack of responsiveness, and the subjective and negative abuse of authority have eroded trust in
governance systems which needs to be restored urgently."
Barriers to Good Governance
• Attitudinal Problems of the Civil Servants
There is a growing concern that the Civil Services and administration in general, have become wooden, inflexible,
self-perpetuating and inward looking. Consequently, their attitude is one of indifference and insensitivity to the
needs of citizens. is, coupled with the enormous asymmetry in the wielding of power at all levels, has further
aggravated the situation. The end result is that officers perceive themselves as dispensing favours to citizens rather
than serving them and given the abject poverty, illiteracy, etc. a culture of exaggerated deference to authority has
become the norm.
• Lack of Accountability
A common reason usually cited for inefficiency in governance is the inability within the system to hold the Civil
Services accountable for their actions. Seldom are disciplinary proceedings initiated against delinquent government
servants and imposition of penalties is even more rare. This is primarily because at most levels authority is
divorced from accountability leading to a system of realistic and plausible alibis. Cumbersome disciplinary
procedures have added to the general apathy towards discipline in Government. Moreover the safeguards provided
,to civil servants, - which were well intentioned - have often been misused. Another reason for lack of
accountability is that performance evaluation systems within government have not been effectively structured. e
complacency that the system breeds has resulted in employees adopting an apathetic or lackadaisical attitude
towards citizens and their grievances.
• Red Tapism
Bureaucracies the world over are expected to adhere to rules and procedures which are, of course, important for
good governance. However, at times, these rules and procedures are ab-initio ill conceived and cumbersome and,
therefore, do not serve their purpose. Also, government servants sometimes become overly pre- occupied with rules
and procedures and view these as an end in themselves.
• Low levels of Awareness of the Rights and Duties of Citizens
Inadequate awareness about their rights prevents citizens from holding erring government servants to account.
Similarly, low levels of compliance of Rules by the citizens also acts as an impediment to good governance; when
citizens do not adhere to their duties they infringe on the freedom and rights of other citizens. Thus, awareness of
rights and adherence to duties are two sides of the same coin. A vigilant citizenry, fully aware of its rights as well
its duties, is perhaps the best way to ensure that officials as well as other citizens, discharge their duties effectively
and honestly.
• Ineffective Implementation of Laws and Rules
There is a large body of laws in the country, each legislated with different objectives - maintaining public order and
safety, maintaining sanitation and hygiene, protecting rights of citizens, giving special protection to the vulnerable
sections etc. Effective implementation of these laws creates an environment which would improve the welfare of
all citizens and at the same time, encourage each citizen to contribute his best towards the development of society.
On the other hand, weak implementation can cause a great deal of hardship to citizens and even erode the faith of
the citizenry in the government machinery.
Steps to be taken
• Sound Legal Framework - A dynamic society requires constant updating of existing laws as also enactment of
new laws to meet emergent needs and challenges so that the welfare, protection and development needs of citizens
is fully met. In fact, the Law Commission has inter alia been given the responsibility to examine existing laws to
ensure their relevance to present-day needs and requirements.
• Robust Institutional Mechanism for Establishing Rule of Law - The country has, over the years, created and
sustained strong and effective institutional mechanisms to ensure that the rule of law is maintained and the rights of
our citizens are well protected and human dignity upheld. Some of these institutions have been established in our
Constitution and others through statutes and executive orders.
• Competent and Dedicated Workforce - A sound legal system and a robust institutional mechanism need to be
buttressed by ensuring that competent and motivated personnel run the system in order to provide a vibrant citizen
centric administration.
• Decentralization, Delegation and Accountability - The citizen-sovereign- consumer must exercise as much
authority as practicable, and delegate upward the rest of the functions which require economies of scale,
technological and managerial capacity or collective amenities.The principle of subsidiarity stipulates: functions
shall be carried out closest to citizens at the smallest unit of governance possible and delegated upwards only when
, the local unit cannot perform the task
• Transparency and Right to Information - Transparency and Right to Information are an essential pre-condition for
good governance.
• Accountability - Accountability means answerability i.e. questions asked of public officials have to be answered
by them.
• Focus on Outcomes - Evaluation and Monitoring Monitoring and evaluation are important managerial functions
in any organization.
• Grievance Redressal Mechanisms - In a welfare State like India, citizens have a variety of interactions with the
Government in its myriad forms - as a service provider, a regulator, as a provider of social and physical
infrastructure etc. Meeting the expectations of the citizens is a challenging task for any Government
• Active Citizens' Participation - Information Dissemination, Mechanisms, Target Group Consultation . Promoting
citizen centric administration also implies giving a voice to citizens in the governance process. At the local
community level, citizens as stakeholders can directly participate in decision making.
• Process Simplification - Simplifying transactions focuses on adoption of Single Window Approach, minimizing
hierarchial tiers, up- dating and simplification of existing department manuals and codes etc. needs to be brought to
the centre- stage of administrative reforms.
Functions of government
All governments perform a wide range of functions. These functions could be classified as follows:
Self-preservation – The authority of the State needs to be preserved both from external aggression and
internal disturbances. Government discharges this function by raising and maintaining a national army, a
police force and other enforcement agencies and empowering these agencies through legislations.
Supervision and resolution of conflicts – Strengthening of democratic practices and processes, ensuring
equity to all citizens, setting up of conflict resolution mechanisms and fair governance are some ways for
minimization of conflicts.
Socio-economic development – Enactment and effective enforcement of laws, assuring welfare of the
weaker sections, bringing about desirable social change are some measures which governments adopt to
bring about socio-economic development.
Regulation of the economy – This has emerged as one of the most important functions of government.
Adopting sound fiscal and monetary policies is one of the major duties of a government.
Provision of goods and services – With increasing emphasis on socio-economic development, governments
today are major providers of different types of goods and services such as education, health, public
distribution of food grains etc.
The functions of a government could be broadly categorized as follows:
A. Regulatory Functions:
The Commission recommended:
Regulation only where necessary: It has been argued that India is an over-regulated country, but many of the
regulations are not implemented in right earnest.
Regulation to be effective: One of the consequences of a large number of regulations has been their poor
enforcement. Social legislations are classic examples of this.
