Ethical Governance in India

Ethical Governance is a corruption-free, moral and people-centric government.

People think that concept of Good Governance is modern. But they are wrong. Many times in past, scholars have conceptualized what constitutes good governance.

Kautilya

• Kautilya, in his Arthashastra, wrote, “In the happiness of subjects lies the happiness of king and in the welfare of subjects lies the welfare of king. ” Hence, he has written about Citizen-Centric Government.  
• Kautilya has also highlighted the corruption & given the concept of Kantakshodhana, i.e. king should purge those elements strictly. 

Gandhi’s Vision of Ramrajya

• The vision of Ramrajya, or the ideal state, involves Governance based on Moral Principles like nonviolence, truth, and righteousness. 
• Gandhi said that government which is not working in the people’s interest is morally corrupt. 
• Swaraj, i.e. Self Rule, is one of the pillars of his Ramrajya or Good Governance. 

Aristotle

He has divided the government into two parts 

• Perverted Government: Power is used in the interest of the ruling class
• Legitimate Government: Power is used in the public interest 

Rule of Law

• Rule of Law involves governance based upon rules and regulations 
• In modern times, these rules & regulations are codified in the country’s constitution and laws. 

People’s Participation

• Real democracy doesn’t just mean voting to elect government but the participation of people in governance itself. 
• The mechanism of people’s participation in contemporary times are

Consensus Orientation

• Consensus Orientation in governance involves seeking input from various individuals and groups affected by a decision or policy, aiming to reach a consensus that considers the diverse perspectives and interests involved.
• Ethical Governance is opposite to the ‘Winner takes All’ approach. 

Equity and Inclusiveness

• The distribution of resources should be based on the principle of equity so that different sections of society receive these resources based on their need
• Inclusiveness involves including weaker sections in decision-making.

Effective and Efficient

• Effective government achieves the targets in the stipulated time. 
• An efficient government is one which delivers maximum with minimum resources 

Accountable

• Discussed separately (CLICK HERE)

Transparent

• The literal meaning of Transparency is openness 
• Tools of Transparency include RTI, E-Governance etc.
• Dealt exclusively in a separate article (CLICK HERE)

Responsive

• A responsive government is one which positively responds to people’s demands, needs and aspirations in a timely manner.

For this, we need to take various steps in various fields

1. Political Structure

• Enforce expenditure limits on elections strictly 
• Bring Political Parties under RTI
• Remove excessive protection given to tainted politicians 

2. Statutory Structure

2nd Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) has given various recommendations in this regard

• Amend the Prevention of Corruption Act 
• Integrity Pacts – When Government Organisation signs any contract with a Private organization, sign integrity pacts stating that if Private Organisation is found involved in any wrongdoing, the contract will cancel automatically. 

3. Institutional Structure

• Strengthen and give more teeth to CVC, Lokpal, CBI etc.

4. Social Infrastructure

Take help of society in reducing corruption and increasing Ethical Governance

• Give Civic Education in Schools.  
• False Claims Act (USA): If you think there is wrongdoing in some organization, gather evidence & produce it before the court. If the fine is imposed on that organization, some portion of money from that fine will be given to the litigant. 
• Social Audit: Social Audit is the audit through client or beneficiary groups or civil society groups (i.e. stakeholders) to ensure the social accountability of an organization.