Good Governance Day
Good Governance Day is observed on 25th December in India which is the birth anniversary of India’s former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The main aim of celebrating this day is fostering awareness among the Indian people of accountability in government. To enhance the growth and development in the country through good governance and to bring citizens closer to the government to make them active participants in the good governance process.
The day aims to remind the government that it should be unbiased, transparent, and development-oriented. Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee emerged as the torch-bearer of good governance. He dedicated his entire life to the service of our great nation, he was truly an embodiment of good governance.
Earlier in December 2014, Union Government at the BJP Parliamentary Board meeting had announced that National ‘Good Governance Day’ will be observed on the birthday of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee i.e. 25th December every year.
On this occasion, a number of initiatives have been taken by the government viz. the launch of Atal Bhujal Yojana (ATAL JAL), naming of the tunnel under Rohtang Pass as Atal Tunnel, and the launch of Good Governance Index (GGI).
Atal Bhujal Yojana
The Atal Bhujal Yojana (ATAL JAL), proposed by the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation (DoWR, RD&GR), Ministry of Jal Shakti. It is designed to manage groundwater resources in a holistic manner by involving the concerned Central and State Government machinery, Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), non-governmental organizations, Water User Associations (WUAs), farmers, and other stakeholders.
Atal Tunnel
Atal Tunnel is the longest highway tunnel in the World. The 9.02 Km long tunnel connects Manali to Lahaul-Spiti valley throughout the year. Earlier the valley was cut off for about 6 months each year owing to heavy snowfall. The Tunnel is built with ultra-modern specifications in the Pir Panjal Range of the Himalayas at an altitude of 3000 Mtrs (10,000 Feet) from the Mean Sea Level (MSL).
Good Governance Index
The Good Governance Index has been scientifically designed on various parameters of governance. He said that it has been designed keeping in mind the citizen-centricity. GGI would also seek to determine the status of governance as it exists today and it will provide a reference threshold for the future also.
The Good Governance Index is a uniform tool across States to assess the Status of Governance and the impact of various interventions taken up by the State Government and UTs. The objectives of GGI are to provide quantifiable data to compare the state of governance in all states and UTs, enable states and UTs to formulate and implement suitable strategies for improving governance and shift to result-oriented approaches and administration.
Various principles have been kept in mind while selecting the indicators, i.e. it should be easy to understand & calculate, citizen-centric & result-driven, leading to improved results and applicable to all states and UTs, among others.
The GGI takes into consideration ten sectors:
1). Agriculture and Allied Sectors
2). Commerce & Industries
3). Human Resource Development
4). Public Health
5). Public Infrastructure & Utilities
6). Economic Governance
7). Social Welfare & Development
8). Judicial & Public Security
9). Environment
10). Citizen-Centric Governance.
These ten Governance Sectors are measured on a total of 50 indicators. Difference indicators are given different weightage under one Governance Sector to calculate the value. E.g. Under Agriculture & Allied Sector, there are 6 indicators with different weightage, namely:
- The growth rate of agriculture and allied sector (0.4),
- The growth rate of food grains production (0.1),
- The growth rate of horticulture produce (0.1),
- The growth rate of milk production (0.1),
- The growth rate of meat production (0.1)
- Crop insurance (0.2).
The states and UTs are divided into three groups:
a). The Big States,
b). North-East & Hill States
c). UTs.
The states and UTs are ranked on all indicators separately, at the same time composite ranking is also calculated for these states and UTs under their respective groups based upon these indicators.
How is Good Governance Day Celebrated?
Good Governance Day coincides with the Christmas Day celebration on 25th December. To mark the occasion of this day, several programs were organized nationwide and new initiatives are announced. Various activities like poems, speeches, artwork, essays, drama, and dance are held in government offices, colleges, schools, and other educational institutions.
Good Governance initiatives are being replicated not only by the states in India but also by the other countries. Good governance is the need of the hour for a developing country like India, and it is surely one of the prime concerns of our nation at present.
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