New Delhi: Good Governance Day (Sushashan Diwas) is observed in India every year on December 25 to foster awareness about accountability in government. The day commemorates the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
History and Significance
The Good Governance Day was established in 2014 to honour Prime Minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
On December 23, 2014, Vajpayee was announced as recipient of India’s highest civilian award Bharat Ratna for merit by then President Pranab Mukherjee. Following the announcement, the Narendra Modi-led central government announced that the birth anniversary of Vajpayee would be henceforth commemorated annually in India as Good Governance Day. This year marks the 99th Birth anniversary of Vajpayee.
Facts about Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Born on December 25, 1924 (Christmas day) in a Brahmin family. He is called the man of the masses. He was imprisoned for 23 days for participating in the Quit India Movement. Vajpayee was the only leader to win six Lok Sabha constituencies from 4 states including UP, MP, New Delhi and Gujarat. He was a Member of Parliament for 47 years -- elected 11 times from Lok Sabha and twice from Rajya Sabha.
Vajpayee served three terms as the prime minister of India, first for a term of 13 days in 1996, then for a period of 13 months from 1998 to 1999, followed by a full term from 1999 to 2004. He was the first-ever leader from the Bharatiya Janata Party to have become the nation's Prime Minister. He was the first Indian politician to deliver a speech in Hindi at the United Nations General Assembly.
During his tenure as PM, India conducted a successful nuclear test at Pokhran, Rajasthan, named Operation Shakti. Vajpayee never married and when he was asked the reason behind it, he said, "I stay so busy that I forgot. He has an adopted daughter, Namita. Vajpayee suffered a stroke in 2009 after which his speech and hand movement was impaired. He wrote his first poem when he was in class 10. Vajpayee even released 2 albums with Jagjit Singh featuring his poems: Nayi Disha (1999) and Samvedna(2002). Vajpayee was a close follower of Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, founder of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh. Vajpayee announced his retirement from politics at the end of 2005. In late December 2014, he was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour.
He was once a communist. Before joining Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Vajpayee was slightly inclined towards ideas of communism .
Major Contributions Of Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Governance is the process of decision-making and the process by which decisions are implemented. In 1998 when Atal Bihari Vajpayee took over as Prime Minister, the telecom sector was monopolised. He took various steps to free up the sector and expand it. The NDA government under Vajpayee released the telecom policy of 1999. He unveiled the first moon exploration plan of India- Chandrayaan 1. In 2001, he launched Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, a social scheme. For the first time in India, elementary education became free for children aged 6-14 years. Vajpayee made India a nuclear weapon state. In 1998, India conducted five nuclear tests in one week. The most ambitious road projects in India were launched by him, including the Golden Quadrilateral and the Pradhanmantri Gramin Sadak Yojna. As a PM, Vajpayee led India during Times of Crises like the Kargil War in 1999 and the terror attack on the Indian Parliament in 2001. Thereafter, Vajpayee initiated the Agra Summit in 2001, which was a pivotal moment in India-Pakistan relations. Vajpayee helmed privatisation in India with disinvestments in Bharat Aluminium Company (BALCO), Hindustan Zinc, Indian Petrochemicals Corruption Ltd. And VSNL. (Now TATA Communication). He also introduced the Fiscal Responsibility ACT which aimed to bring down the fiscal deficit. This boosted public sector savings which rose from -0.8% GDP in 2000 to 2.3% in 2005.
Indian Initiatives to improve Good Governance
Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched the pilot District Good Governance Index (DGGI) – a governance performance SOP – for Jammu & Kashmir. India’s first District Good Governance Index (DGGI) for Jammu & Kashmir has 58 governance performance indicators 116 data points spanning 10 governance sectors.
The Good Governance Index (GGI) has been launched by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions to determine the status of governance in the country. In addition, the National e-Governance Plan has the vision to “make all government services accessible to the common man in his locality, through common service delivery outlets and ensure efficiency, transparency & reliability of such services at affordable costs to realise the basic needs of the common man.”
The central government also brought the Right to Information Act, 2005 which plays an effective role in ensuring transparency in governance.
Awareness On IT Based Applications
The Central government attaches utmost importance to the need for improving Governance and service delivery to the common man. One of the important tenets in this direction is the effective use of IT-based applications under e-Governance initiatives. In line with this, the Ministry of Finance has taken-up the initiative of raising an e-Book.
This provides easy access to various initiatives including good governance initiatives taken under the Ministry of Finance (MoF) and an IT-enabled platform. MoF hopes this will be useful to the citizens and an important step in bringing the governance closer to the public.
Setting Up Of National Centre for Good Governance
The National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) was set up in 2014 by the Government of India as an apex–level autonomous institution under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.
NCGG deals with a gamut of governance issues from local, state to national levels, across all sectors. The Centre is mandated to work in the areas of governance, policy reforms, capacity building and training of civil servants and technocrats of India and other developing countries. It also works as a think tank.
Areas Of Functioning Of NCGG
Since its inception, NCGG has been extensively working in areas such as primary and elementary education, decentralized planning at district and block levels, capacity building of Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRIs), participatory models of learning and action, rural development, cooperatives, and public sector management, etc. In addition, it focuses on issues related to good governance, social accountability, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), among other sectors.
The Centre encapsulates the essence of good governance and weighs on the importance of the rule of law, bringing in transparency, working to promote public participation in governance, service delivery and reforms, as well as in developing accountable institutions, access to information, etc.
Capacity Building Programme For Civil Servants From Southeast Asia and Indian Ocean Region
The National Centre for Good Governance successfully concluded its 1st Capacity Building Programme on Public Policy and Administration for civil servants from Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean Region. The two-week program, held from November 18 to 29, 2024, was conducted in Mussoorie and New Delhi. It brought together 30 senior officers representing key ministries from Sri Lanka, Oman, Tanzania, Kenya, Seychelles, Malaysia, Cambodia, Maldives, and Myanmar.
The program provided participants with a platform to exchange ideas, share best practices, and discuss innovative approaches to governance and administration. The programme focused on critical areas such as e-governance, sustainable development, transparency, and inclusivity, reflecting NCGG’s commitment to fostering excellence in governance.
Challenges to Good Governance in India
In spite of taking several initiatives, India’s Good Governance approach still faces several challenges. Women’s Empowerment, corruption, hindrance to exercise the right to prompt justice, administrative system centralization and politics as a criminal offence are some of the issues that pose as major challenges for Good Governance in India.
