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The Bhagavad Gita refers to good governance, leadership, devotion to duty, and self-confidence in many ways that can be reinterpreted in the modern context. In Kautilya's Arthashastra (2nd-3rd century BC), 'the welfare of the people was considered paramount in the works of the king. Mahatma Gandhi has emphasized 'Su-raj' which essentially means 'Good Governance'. The importance of governance has been clearly outlined in the Indian Constitution, which is based on a sovereign, socialist, secular, and democratic republic, with a commitment to democracy, the rule of law, and the welfare of the people. Under the Sustainable Development Goals, 'Goal 16' can be considered directly linked to good governance as it is dedicated to improving governance, inclusion, participation, rights, and security. According to former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, good governance ensures respect for human rights and the rule of law, and strengthens democracy, promotes transparency and efficiency in public administration. 8 Principles of Good Governance as stated by the United Nations- Participation- People should be able to express their opinion through legitimate organizations or representatives. This includes men and women, weaker sections of the society, backward classes, minorities, etc. Participation also implies freedom of association and expression. Rule of Law: The legal framework should be implemented fairly, especially in the context of human rights laws. Without the 'rule of law' politics Matsya Nyaya i.e. the Law of Fish means the strong would prevail over the weak. Consensus-oriented- Consensus-oriented decision-making ensures that everyone's common minimum needs can be met which will not be harmful to anyone. It mediates various interests with a broad consensus to serve the best interests of a community. Equity and Inclusiveness: Good governance assures the creation of an equitable society. People should have the opportunity to improve or maintain their standard of living. Effectiveness and Efficiency: Different institutions should be able to produce results that meet the needs of their community. The resources of the community should be used effectively for maximum production. Accountability- The objective of good governance is based on the betterment of the people and it cannot be accountable to the people without the government. Government institutions, the private sector, and civic organizations must be held accountable to public and institutional stakeholders. Transparency- Essential information should be accessible to the public and should be monitored. Transparency means no control over the media and people should have access to information. Responsiveness- The institutions and processes should provide services to all the stakeholders in a reasonable time.

According to Mukherjee (2013), good governance in Indian scriptures has been called raj dharma, that is, the righteous duty of the king.  It means that those who are involved in governance and play an important role in administrative activities should practice righteousness and do justice to the people.  Lack of good governance is the root cause of many social evils.  Good governance includes the rule of law, participatory decision-making structure, transparency, accountability, accountability, equity, and inclusivity.

Dwivedi and Mishra (2007) state that good governance in the Brihadarnya Upanishad emphasizes the responsibility of the king to protect religion, and the public good so that all citizens have equal opportunities and the weak are not exploited and oppressed.  The king should be kind to the welfare of all the people (Mahabharata, Shanti Parva, Vol-V).

 Kamat (2019) contextualized good governance and emphasized that there is no option for good governance. Government must imbibe good governance as part of its regular affairs. It is the basic right of all citizens and the government is bound to provide it.

Features of Good Governance- The next important question is what are the basic features and elements of good governance Many features have been mentioned in many reports and studies, for example in Kautilya's method, the following features make a good governance law and order.  Public Welfare Administration Decisions Based on Justice and Logic Corruption Free Governance The World Bank in its 1989 and 1992 Vote Organization for Economic Corporation and Development Commissioner Governance United Nations Development Program 1997 has described in detail the qualities of good governance.  The tasks are clearly laid out within the Asian Development Bank report in the form of the following questions Do Locke participate fully in governance, can people have access to all information, can people make decisions, or are they responsible for decision making?  Are women also equal to men in governance, whether the needs of poverty and backward people are met, are human rights guaranteed?  the needs of the people have been taken care of whether the people accept the governance framework
Responsibility- It has been unanimously emphasized that governance should be based on the principles of accountability of those who are responsible for it.  Accountability refers to the fact that the bureaucracy should also be accountable for what it does and does not do.  In the parliamentary system, such administration is done through questions, debates, debates, budget approval committees, and other methods of Parliament.  The executive is accountable to the people through its representatives.  But it is also true that this process has proved ineffective due to many reasons.  The decline in the quality and character of discussions and representatives, the change of the parliamentary system of government to a cabinet system, criminalization of politics, and fragmentation of society are the main reasons for its ineffectiveness.  Second, accountability is also ensured through judicial review of government decisions and laws.
Citizens are also demanding judicial intervention through Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on urgent issues that disregard the interest of the common man.  This type of methodology is popular in New Zealand, Canada, Australia, and India.  In recent times, an effective means of public accountability is the Citizens' Charter system.  The idea originated with the idea of ​​changing the bureaucratic culture for citizens to include pro-people behavior so as not to include old, apathetic, informal, and senseless behavior.  The modern democratic values ​​should be given a place in the bureaucracy over the old feudal values.
Thus, a responsible governance system considers the following functional and behavioral characteristics of public servants essential-
 1. Achievement Oriented Behavior.
2. Striving for the welfare of the people.
3. Using logic and experience in decision making, recognizing and punishing deviating from one's responsibilities,
4. implementing policies and plans within a time frame
 5. Character strength, ability and dedication, and coverage of public servants.
6. Ability to perform tasks complemented by honesty, friendliness, integrity, skill, and excellence when dealing with others.
Each country has a variety of institutional and legal systems, in order to preserve the breadth of the characteristics of responsible administration.  For example, in India, institutions like the Central Vigilance Commission, National Commission for Women, Scheduled Castes and Tribes, Minorities and Backward Classes, National Commission for Labor, National Commission for Minorities, and Human Rights and Controller General of Accounts of India were formed in bureaucracy.  Efforts have been made to provide for constitutional and systemic commitments.  These attempts to remove the biased tendencies of the administration, corruption, isolation, and secrecy.  Its purpose is to make the administration sensitive towards the poor.  Sensitive towards sex ratio and above all to make it sensitive to the problems of the general public.
 Its objective is to reduce the unwanted actions and behavior of public servants and to increase their competence and integrity.  The government has also initiated such measures at its level so that the actions of accountability in the administration can be checked.
In this regard, the following may be kept in mind.
1. Machinery for redressal of public grievances
2. Accepting the Right to Information
3. Use of Information Technology and E-Governance
4. Democratization and decentralization of power
5. Empowerment of marginalized groups especially women
6. Healthy competition between public and private sectors • Review of various types of laws, rules, and regulations.
 In order to establish accountability at the local government level and support marginalized groups, the Indian Parliament passed the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments in1992,
providing, inter alia, 33 per cent reservation for women and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.  were given reservation in proportion to their population.  Along with this, decentralized development planning, increased financial powers and more financial powers were given to local bodies.  Thus decentralization and democratization have been made the foundation of developmental administration.
Apart from these, 79 Ministries and Departments of the Central Government are governing the structure of the Citizen's Charter.  This charter gives The following details
1. Timelines and norms of services.
2. Methods of redressal of complaints.
3. Establishing a system of scrutiny and independent review of the implementation of the Charter.
 The Central Government and many states have established special institutions and units for the speedy disposal of complaints.  They have a purpose.  Ignorance by the officers/offices To curb the excessive time taken in the disposal of cases and the unsympathetic attitude of the officers, the role of responsibilities in the governance system should be open and transparent.  If there is no transparency in any decision or work, there is a possibility of discrimination in it.  Transparency minimizes the possibility of bias.  Everyone is free from prejudice.  Indian Parliament arranged for the right to information for all citizens.  Central Ministries and Departments invite public grievances by opening such counters with great publicity.
Initiatives for Good Governance in India
Right to Information- India as a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) According to Article 19 of the ICCPR, It has followed an international obligation to effectively guarantee citizens' right to information. The RTI Act, of 2005 is a significant change in the Indian democracy. It gives citizens access to information which in turn makes the government accountable to greater community needs.
E-Governance- The National e-Governance Plan aims to make all government services accessible to citizens in their area, through 'Common Service Delivery Outlets' and provide such services at an affordable cost. It is implemented to ensure efficiency, transparency, and reliability of services. E-governance effectively delivers better programs and services in the era of newly emerging Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) that provide new opportunities for rapid social and economic change around the world.  E-governance has a direct impact on the citizens who get benefits through direct transactions with the services offered by the government. Programs launched under e-Governance: Pragati (Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation), Digital India Programme, MCA 21 (Improving Mobility and Certainty in Delivery of Services of Ministry of Corporate Affairs), Passport Seva Kendra (PSK) Online Income Tax Return, etc. by the government to focus on 'Minimum Government, Maximum Governance
Legal Reforms- The central government has abolished about 1,500 obsolete rules and laws with an aim to bring transparency and improve efficiency. Procedural laws should be reformed with a focus on arbitration by various institutions under legal processes.
Ease of Doing Business- Steps have been taken by the government to improve the conditions of doing business, including any laws, to improve the ecosystem related to the business environment and policies of the country. Like- such as Bankruptcy Code, Goods, and Services Tax (GST) and Anti-Money Laundering Act, etc. 
Decentralization- The centralized 'Planning Commission' was abolished and replaced by Aayog which promotes 'Cooperative Federalism.The 14th Finance Commission increased the tax devolution limit for states from 32% to 42% from 2015 to 2020. It gives more freedom to the states to initiate schemes based on local factors.
Police Reforms- Improved First Information Report (FIR) mechanism includes the registration of e-FIRs for minor offenses. A nationwide emergency number was launched to address the emerging security needs of citizens.
Aspirational Districts Programme- The Aspirational Districts Program(ADP) was launched in January 2018 to bring about a change in the standard of living of the people in the less developed areas of the country.  The objective of this program is to bring about a positive change in the areas of health and nutrition, education, agriculture and water management, financial inclusion, and skill development in the 115 most backward districts.

Challenges To Good Governance
1. Criminalization of Politics-  •According to the "Association of Democratic Reforms" 43% of members of parliament Lok Sabha are facing Criminal Charges. It is a
26% increase as compared to 2014.
2. Corruption- •Corruption is a major obstacle to improving the quality of governance.
•According to the Corruption perception, Index-2021 India's Ranking is 85th among 180 countries. This Rank of India Shows that Corruption is a big problem in front of good governance.
3. Gender Disparity- • Gender Disparity is the Social Decline in which men and women are not treated equally, and this is a big problem for good governance.
→ Due to Gender Disparity we are Seeing a decline in the participation of women in administration and in politics. And again less participation of women in administration is also a big problem for good governance.
According to Swami Vivekananda- " It is impossible to think about the welfare of the world unless the condition of women is Improved“
 Therefore in order to ensure good governance, it is essential to ensure the Empowerment of women.
4. Delay is Justice: A citizen has the right to avail timely justice, But there are several factors because a Common man doesn’t get timely justice…
Some other Challenges to good governance-
1. Lack of Accountability.
2. Red Tapism.
3. Low level of awareness.
4. Ineffective implementation of laws and rules.
5. Violence.

1. https://www.thestudyiq.com/2021/10/sushasan-kya-hai.html 2. https://www.drishtiias.com/hindi/paper4/good-governance/print/manual 3. www.niti.gov.in 4. www.financialexpress.com 5. www.hindustantimes.com 6. www.sustainabledevelopment.un.org 7. Balmiki Prasad Singh “The Challenge of Good Governance in India: Need for Innovative Approaches “ 8. Mukherjee, P. (2013). Speech by the President of India on the Occasion of Fourth UPSC Foundation Day, “Governance and Public Service” New Delhi: November 29, 2013. 9. Sharma, S.K. (2003). Good Governance in Ancient India: Remembering Kingship in Shantiparavam of Mahabharat, Meerut Journal of Political Science and Public Administration, 6(1), 109. 10. Kamat, P.V. (2019). Getting to Good Governance: Contemporary Discourse for Reinvention of Government. Indian Journal of Democratic Governance, 1(2), 7 – 16.