GOOD GOVERNANCE

Towards Decentralisation and people's empowerment

At present, India is governed through a mixed-up polity and a gargantuan bureaucratic system, both of which threaten to strangulate her. What we have created in the name of democracy is colonial self-rule in which the people have little say. The only way out of this debilitating situation is decentralisation and governance and management directly through people's participation at all levels.

For good governance, problems should be resolved at the lowest level at which resolution of the issue is possible. Representatives of the residents of a small zone, comprising a residents Association should be the smallest denominator at which decisions pertaining to local matters are taken. A hierarchy of decision-making groups should be established ranging from the Residents Association, Neighborhood Association, and Zonal Level Committee upto the Municipal Level. Only macro issues would be allocated to the municipality. The officers of the municipality could then assume their proper roles instead of doing little more than supervising maintenance of sewage pipes.

It must be recognised that patterns of governance change according to how we frame the basic regulations. If issues are not resolved at the lowest level, the entire principles of governance go wrong. Over centralisation results in a breakdown in understanding of local issues. Decentralised and participatory planning, disempowerment of the bureaucracy and transparency in government processes alone can lead to a vibrant, responsibly industrialised nation of empowered Indians.