Governance, Transparency, Accountability and E-governance

What the official syllabus says

Main Examination, General Studies II:

• Important aspects of governance. Transparency and accountability, e-governance applications, models, successes, limitations and potential, citizens charters and institutional measures.

Topics in detail

Important aspects of governance

• Meaning of governance and good governance (World Bank, 1992); features: participation, rule of law, transparency, responsiveness, consensus, equity, effectiveness, accountability
• Second Administrative Reforms Commission (2005) and its reports on ethics in governance, e-governance and citizen-centric administration
• Good Governance Day (25 December) and the Good Governance Index
• Kinds of accountability: political, administrative, legal, financial and social; horizontal (between institutions) and vertical (to citizens)

Transparency and accountability

• Right to Information Act, 2005: public authorities, time limits (30 days; 48 hours for life and liberty), exemptions (Section 8), Central and State Information Commissions, 2019 amendment
• Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013; Central Vigilance Commission
• Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and its 2018 amendment; Whistle Blowers Protection Act, 2014
• Audit by the CAG; parliamentary committees; social audit
• Right to services laws in states: time-bound delivery of notified services
• Proactive disclosure under Section 4 of the RTI Act; open government data (data.gov.in)
• Transparency in public procurement: e-procurement portals and the Government e-Marketplace

E-governance: applications and models

• National e-Governance Plan (2006) and its mission mode projects; e-Kranti
• Stages of e-governance: information, interaction, transaction, transformation
• A commonly taught classification of e-governance models: broadcasting, critical flow, comparative analysis, e-advocacy and interactive service
• Types of interaction: government to citizen, government to business, government to government, government to employee
• Applications: Common Service Centres, UMANG, DigiLocker, Passport Seva, MCA21, e-Courts, GST Network, e-procurement, CPGRAMS for grievances
• State-level examples: computerised land records, e-District services
• Successes: faster delivery, fewer intermediaries, reduced leakages
• Limitations: digital divide, language barriers, poor connectivity, cyber security and privacy concerns, resistance to change
• Potential: digital public infrastructure, data-driven governance, artificial intelligence in public services

Citizens' charters

• Origin in the United Kingdom (1991); adoption in India from 1997
• Contents: standards of service, information, grievance redress, time limits
• Sevottam model of the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances
• Weaknesses: no legal backing, little consultation with citizens, poor awareness

Institutional measures

• Grievance redress mechanisms and their reform; ombudsman institutions
• Capacity building of civil servants (Mission Karmayogi); performance management
• Simplification of procedures, self-certification, removal of obsolete laws

Overlaps

• General Studies IV: probity in governance, right to information, codes of conduct and citizen's charter.
• General Studies V: good governance, eradication of corruption, Lokayukta, citizen charters, e-governance and right to information in Uttar Pradesh.