Good governance can reinforce democracy

Laimayum Bashanta Sharma
In India, the 25th of December is designated as Good Governance Day, coinciding with the birth anniversary of the late Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee. In 2014, Good Governance Day was instituted as a way to raise awareness of Government accountability among Indians and pay tribute to Prime Minister Vajpayee. On December 23, 2014, the late President Pranab Mukherjee of India announced that Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, both 90 years old, had been awarded India's highest civilian award for merit, the Bharat Ratna.
After the announcement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's newly elected Government declared that Good Governance Day would now be observed on the former Prime Minister's birthday every year in India. Both the decision to declare Good Governance Day a Government working day and the fact that it falls on Christmas Eve have drawn criticism. The Good Governance Index was introduced by the Modi administration in 2019. It is described as "a scientifically prepared tool based on various parameters of good governance which assess the level of any State at a given point in time and help in shaping future development."
The Good Governance Day's significance
Educate People on Governance : The purpose of Good Governance Day is to educate the public about the responsibility and management of their Government.
Fair Treatment of Citizens: The day guarantees that citizens of the Nation receive a variety of Government services promptly and that they are treated equitably by the authorities.
The National Good Governance Day aims to raise awareness of e-governance, and its official slogan is "Good Governance through e-Governance" to be realised through the application of sound governance principles.
The Way Ahead : Enhancing Good Governance
Right to Information : This initiative seeks to combat corruption, empower citizens, and achieve democracy's real objectives by encouraging transparency and accountability in Governmental operations.
The Good Governance Index is a scientific tool that evaluates a State's level of governance at a particular moment in time and aids in directing future development. It is based on a number of good governance parameters.
E-Government : It uses information and communication technologies (ICTs) to provide the general public with Government services.
Local Body Governance : By creating local bodies, the 73rd and 74th Amendments to the Constitution decentralized decision-making.
The Citizen Charter is a written document that outlines the steps taken by the service provider to concentrate on their dedication to meeting the needs of the clients/citizens.
The process of analyzing and assessing how social and economic policies and programs affect societal welfare, with an emphasis on beneficial results, is known as social auditing.
Obstacles to India's Effective Governance
Woman Empowerment: Women are under represented in the Government and other key positions. To redress this issue On 21 September, Indian legislators passed the first legislation considered in the country’s new Parliament building : the Women’s Reservation Bill, 2023. The Bill, which was passed by both Houses of Parliament almost unanimously—with just two votes against—will ensure that women occupy at least 33 per cent of the seats in State legislative Assemblies and the Lok Sabha, the lower House of Parliament.
Corrupt practices : It is difficult to improve things when there are too many bad actors.
Justice Delayed : Although assistance should be provided promptly, there are instances when it is not.
Administrative System Centralization: More authority is necessary for lower-level governments to function effectively.
The criminalization of politics: Public welfare is negatively impacted by certain politicians, labor unions, and corporate collusion.
Additional Difficulties: Encouraging growth, preserving the environment, and adapting to global changes are examples of challenging tasks.
Good Governance Day has been annually observed by the government since 2014. The day is commemorated to make sure that everyone in the nation receives equitable treatment from the government and has access to various government services. The purpose of Good Governance Day is to increase public participation in government processes and services by promoting good governance. "Good Governance through e-Governance" was the slogan used when it was founded.
The robust e-Government system has prevented money from being embezzled to fictitious recipients. In the current fiscal year, or 2022–2023, the effective transfer of subsidies to the beneficiaries through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) has reached approximately Rs 5.5 trillion thus far.
How the Direct Benefit Transfer program has changed India's social welfare system
In the current fiscal year, 2022–2023, the amount of subsidies transferred to beneficiaries through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) has amounted to approximately Rs 5.5 trillion.
About the DBT Program: Goals, Objectives, Methods, Outcomes, Accomplishments, etc.On January 1st, 2013, the Indian government introduced the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) program.
Through the DBT program, GoI hopes to eliminate any irregularities from the current system, like diversions and duplicate payments, by paying end beneficiaries directly into their bank accounts linked to their Aadhaar.
Transparency and the elimination of theft from the distribution of Central Government-sponsored funds are the main goals of the DBT program.
DBT procedure
The Public Financial Management System (PFMS) registration process is one of the primary checkpoints in the Direct Benefit Transfer process. The steps or subsections that follow are this process.verification of the recipient's eligibility. verification of the Aadhar number and bank account of the recipients enabled the bank account. Beginning of the payment The Central Plan Monitoring System of the Ministry of Finance, Government of India, is called the Public Financial Management System, or PFMS.For the DBT program, it serves as a common platform for e-payments made using both Aadhar and non-Aadhar accounts.
Success of the DBT Initiative
In January 2013, a mother in Puducherry received the first payment for the Janani Suraksha Yojana.

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