As one gets down at Patna airport, a billboard featuring Bihar chief minister Jeetan Ram Manjhi and agriculture minister Narendra Singh greets you with a bizarre proclamation – ‘bring o
The powerful have to have a necessary quality, restraint. But in the Delhi drama, most lacking aspects are restraint and decency in governance. The tussle between Delhi chief ministe
Tata Sons Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata has questioned the basic of governance and sought to redefine it in the post-liberalisation India. He was also at pain to explain how weak enforcement of rule
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while calling technology as simple and a brilliant way to serve people, he declared that India is yearning for a digital revolution and m-governance is about governanc
"Digital India" meet on July 1 turned out to an investment meet as the captains of the industry announced in 150 seconds allotted to each one of them how much investment they are going to
Prime minister Narendra Modi has acknowledged that 55,000 people had made phone calls to give suggestions on better governance. These 55,000 calls came from all parts of India, from Siachen in the
* A Task Force has been constituted for rationalisation of human resources in various Ministries. * Comprehensive review and rationalisation of Autonomous Bodies.
* 100% deduction for profits to an undertaking in housing project for flats upto 30 sq. metres in four metro cities and 60 sq. metres in other cities, approved during June 2016 to March 2019 and co
* A comprehensive Code on Resolution of Financial Firms to be introduced. * Statutory basis for a Monetary Policy framework and a Monetary Policy Committee through the Finance Bill 2
Finance minister Arun Jaitely, presenting the budget 2016-17 on Monday, said that the national agriculture marketing (NAM) e-platform will be launched on the birth anniversary of Dr. Baba Saheb Amb
A panel of civil society activists campaigning for right to food, education, rural employment, maternity and pension entitlements, has said that the 2016-17 budget does not serve the interest of fa
Major findings from the aggregated statistics: Trends in RTI statistics reporting: Only 2,030 public authorities under the government of India regis
Special correspondent Sonal Matharu’s incisive reportage on how tuberculosis and silicosis are silently killing people in a Jharkhand village (
Agriculture loans, employment and electricity for agriculture are the three top priorities for rural voters in Tamil Nadu. This was inferred from a survey conducted by non-political organisation, A
The Public Affairs Centre, a not for profit organisation, assessed states and union territories using data available in the public domain in k
The Public Affairs Centre, a not for profit organisation, assessed states and union territories using data available in the public domain in k
When people of Chennai go out to vote for the next state government on May 16, what will be the issues top most in their minds? Curiously, they will be thinking less about jobs, ‘good governa
The Public Affairs Centre, a not for profit organisation, assessed states and union territories using data available in the publi
The Public Affairs Centre, a not for profit organisation, assessed states and union territories using data available in the public domain in key areas of governance and came out with ‘Public
The Public Affairs Centre, a not for profit organisation, assessed states and union territories using data available in the public domain in k
The Public Affairs Centre, a not for profit organisation, assessed states and union territories using data available in the public domain in key areas of governance and came out with ‘Public
The Public Affairs Centre, a not for profit organisation, assessed states and union territories using data available in the public domain in key areas of governance and came out with ‘Public
The Public Affairs Centre, a not for profit organisation, assessed states and union territories using data available in the public domain in key areas of governance and came out with ‘Public
The Public Affairs Centre, a not for profit organisation, assessed states and union territories using data available in the public domain in key areas of governance and came out with ‘Public
The Uttar Pradesh government has acknowledged its failure of operational lapses for the violence that erupted in Mathura on May 2. That, however, is not enough. An armed clash that broke out betwee
The Delhi government has launched an initiative that provides an opportunity to young leaders from across the country to work within the state government to address pressing urban challenges.
Over the last decade, momentum around nutrition has been steadily building: in 2012, the World Health Assembly (WHA) adopted the 2025 Global Targets for Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition.
That time of the year has come again when basic commodities try to shrug off their ‘basic’ tag. Providing sudden unrest to the public’s budget, this trend is invariably seen every
The cabinet secretariat has issued a circular asking ministries and departments to disclose monthly reports of work done by them. Acting on a central information commission (CIC) dec
We must discuss the fundamental issues of governance affecting the day-to-day life of the people, find out the drawbacks and try and show the way forward, believes justice HL Dattu, chairperson, Na
Bhupendra Vira, a 60-year old RTI activist, was killed in cold blood in Mumbai. His chilling murder shows the severity of threat faced by RTI activists across the country, with those being exposed
Since public memory is woefully short, it may not be common knowledge that general elections for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies were held simultaneously initially – in 1951, 1957, 1962 an
The debate over holding simultaneous elections in the country, i.e. conducting both general and state elections at the same time, has of lately taken flight. Last year, the Standing Committee on Pe
As many as 1,87,974 right to information (RTI) cases in the 16 information commissions were pending till December 2015, reveals a study. While there is a logjam in the disposal of appeals and compl
Prime minister Narendra Modi made the suggestion for holding simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly elections at the all-party meeting ahead of the parliament session. The Standing Comm
Najeeb Jung, a key player in the battle between the Narendra Modi government at the centre and Delhi’s Arvind Kejriwal government, sprung a surprise and quit as lieutenant governor on Thursda
The J&K Right to Information Act (J&K
Before privatisation and corporatisation, the Indian Railways need to undertake major reforms including commercial accounting, decentralisation and human resource among others, said Bibek Debroy, e
Civil services day observed on April 21 every year is according to the government “an occasion for the civil servants to rededicate themselves to the cause of citizens and renew their commitm
The success of a democracy is dependent on informed and active citizens. Over the years, a lot of emphasis has been laid on promoting citizen participation in local governance. Many platforms have
Ever since the Reserve Bank of India-appointed P J Nayak Committee submitted a report blaming RTI as one of the constraints on the governance of public sector banks (PS Banks) in May 2014, Commonwe
At Raymond Limited’s modern textile facility in Vapi, whenever a supervisor has to check up on the looms, he doesn’t go walking around the factory floor asking the workers. He just look
Several myths surround empowerment of women. A popular, cultural myth in India is that women cannot handle money and power, just as men cannot take care of children. However, when women are asked w
For the past 25 years, India has been rising in stature. It is continually called an upcoming superpower but has been unable to reach the promised status. India’s importance in the world is m
From asking whether a woman employee is a virgin to ordering rakhi to be tied in office, some orders confirm your suspicion that everything is not all right in government offices. No wonder governa
India began her tryst with destiny almost seventy years ago, in the midnight intervening 14th and 15th August 1947. The country the British left behind was but a collection of over 600 native state
Chennai’s public health system would work ‘more intelligently’ during natural disasters or spread of diseases, said an official. Public health measures durin
Roughly two-thirds of Indians say a good way to govern the country would be experts, not elected officials, making decisions according to what they think is best for the nation. India is one of onl
Prime minister Narendra Modi’s growing popularity can in part be traced to public satisfaction with his handling of domestic issues, said Pew Research Centre in its latest report.
When it comes to dealing with the disputed border regions of Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian public favours an aggressive stance, said the Pew Research Center, a US based think-tank. A
As of writing, there are only leads, and the gap between the BJP and the Congress is somewhat increasing. Yet, it looks like a close battle – not what all the exit polls had forecast.
Seventy years of independence and the questions and issues raised have not changed and the most astounding fact is that neither are the answers! So this Good Governance Day (December 25), as a woma
It is the story of the exoneration of A Raja and the conviction of a metaphorical raja (Lalu Prasad used to call himself a raja of Bihar) that reveals a complex web of governance in India.
India is the largest democracy and the second largest populated country in the world. One-third of its population belongs to the youth in the age group of 15-29. Youth is a transition period
A staggering 35 percent out of all 31 chief ministers analysed from state assemblies and union territories 11 chief ministers have declared criminal cases against themselves, said Association for D
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), for all its talk of high ideals, had an image problem right from its inception: that it was a motley crew of politically naïve people. When the going was good, this
In a country where a sense of entitlement comes naturally for a bureaucrat, if a civil servant – especially a veteran – displays even little bit of humility it is sure enough to garner
Finland has emerged as the world’s happiest country, as per the World Happiness Report 2018. The report has ranked 156 countries by their happiness levels, and 117 countries by the happiness
Four years ago my article,
“Our ministry of rural development in the government of India is the nodal agency for SDG1 – ‘end poverty’. We have two main schemes in the ministry – Mahatma Gandhi N
The elections, acrimonious as ever, are over. The results, predictable as ever in hindsight, are out. Now the elected leaders should get down to delivering what people have asked for. The election
Shouting vengeance at all and sundry while wriggling out of holes of our own making seems to be our very special national characteristic. Some recent instances are illustrative of this attribute. A
The rankings for Indian cities in the latest Global Liveability Index, prepared by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), should not have come as a surprise to us: the two cities that feature in th
To redesign and make its streets safer and inclusive in a studio project, the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) has invited urban designers to join hands with its engineers so as to cr
The new year and the decade will be the time when India’s millennials will start contributing to the nation, Prime minister Narendra Modi has said in the outgoing year’s last broadcast
The party that came into existence on the intangible timeworn issue of corruption, transparency and increasing public investment through public savings is going on winning elections in Delh
India is known for its old and rich culture, and religion forms a substantial part of it. In India it is hard to find people who categorise themselves as atheists, unless we refer to the matrimonia
Importance of strengthening city governance Cities in India contribute to about 60% of the economic output of the country, acting as the engines of economic growth [
Demobilization, like its predecessor – demonetization, is another decision gone bad in implementation. In both instances a careful public administrative action through its governance sy
Local governance is the base of rural development and comprises of mechanisms, process, and institutions through which citizen and groups articulate their interests, exercise their legal rights, me
There’s so much denial around Narendra Modi in the media that we should be glad his opponents concede he exists in flesh and blood! It’s been nearly 13 years since Modi t
Nandurbar, a tribal and hilly district in Maharashtra with a population of 20 lakh, is an unlikely contender for setting a precedent for the rest of India, but under the leadership of district coll
Shivangi Narayan’s ‘Surveillance as Governance: Aadhaar, Big Data in Governance’ is a valuable addition to the literature on the new identification system that is changing the
When consumer rights and RTI activist Mohammad Afzal was shifting to a new residence in a different area, he required changes in various documents. He decided to take the help of the Citizens Chart
Twenty-five youngsters with dreams of becoming political leaders – or of contributing meaningfully to governance processes – have begun their exciting journey, in a formal setting of an
Ram Madhav, a member of the RSS National Executive, has said that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi proudly proclaiming to be a better Hindu is a welcome step and the opposition’s newfound claim t
On February 11, 2022, a 190-page SEBI final order was issued in relation to governance issues at India’s largest stock exchange, National Stock Exchange (NSE), particularly during the tenure
India has the largest share of the deprived and the marginalized among the 1.3 billion-plus, out of the 7.9 billion-plus inhabitants of the world, who are said to be living without shelter or basic
The Singapore-based Chandler Institute of Governance recently released its Good Government Index 2022. The Chandler Good Government Index (CGGI) measures Government capabilities and outcomes across
From Dependence to Self-Reliance: Mapping India’s Rise as a Global Superpower By Bimal Jalan Rupa Publications, 184 pages, Rs 695 Bimal
From obtaining an electricity connection to a driver`s licence, ration card, or old-age allowance, delivery of government schemes and services is an aspect of governance that impacts citizens at va
A two-week capacity building programme in the field administration for civil servants of Bangladesh was inaugurated at the Mussoorie-based National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) on Tuesday.
Iconic Indians: 75 Extraordinary Individuals Who Inspired the Country By Sanjeev Sanyal and Rajesh Singh Rupa Publications, 360 pages, Rs 695
Over Rs. 254 crore has been earned so far from disposal of scrap during a short period of three weeks of the ongoing Special Swachhta campaign 2.0, while 37.19 lakh square feet of space has been cl
“Why is the child growing?” is the question that bothers a lot many in the administration. The answer, to be honest, is to be discovered via science, and less via what we call ‘ef
In pursuance of the decisions taken in the National workshop on 23.12.2022, DARPG published monthly report on “Secretariat Reforms” for January, 2023. The Report is available at
India has the highest overall bribery rate in the Asian region at 39%, and at 46%, the highest rate of citizens using personal connections to get work done, according to Transparency International.
The journey of ESG is a bridge from ‘qualitative change’ to a ‘measurable value’. ESG is the consideration of E-S-and-G non-financial issues, alongside financial factors, wh
There has been a steady decline in governance in Maharashtra – sad for a state once known for its good administration. Political instability is only one of the factors. Nothing illustrates th
In pursuance of the decisions taken in the National workshop on December 23, 2022, DARPG published monthly report on “Secretariat Reforms” for April 2023. Key highlights
Corporate governance has always been a critical issue for businesses in India. As part of its ongoing digitalization drive, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) recently launched the latest vers
A Plain, Blunt Man: The Essential Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Edited by Urvish Kothari Aleph, 328 pages, Rs 799
Two level of roads not enough, BMC to have triple traffic jams through underground junctions There is no shortage of short-sighted traffic experts who believe that creating
India is celebrating the reinstating of Lord Ram in Ayodhya, his birthplace, after almost 500 years of politico-legal struggle. At the same time, politics is inevitable in a modern democracy; ironi
What are the direct tangible benefits that you want from the government coming in power? The manifestos of various parties set a host of agendas which many times falls back in materialising the int
Inevitable AI: Art of Growth with Generative Intelligence By Aswin Chandarr Stardom Books, 342 pages, Rs 699
The Maharashtra Right to Public Services Act, 2015 (MRTPS Act) was enacted for transparent, efficient and timely delivery of public services to citizens and to bring in transparency and account
As cyber threats continue to rise globally, India’s states and local governments are facing unprecedented challenges in protecting sensitive data, critical infrastructure and public services.
What if the next wave of digital transformation isn`t about technology at all?
