Workshop on Good Governance - 'Sushasan Saptah...'

SK Singh *

'Sushasan Saptah-Prashasan Gaon ki Aur' 2022, is a novel initiative, a nationwide campaign during the period 19-25 December, 2022. The GOI decided to celebrate this week as Good Governance week, in commemoration of December 25 which is celebrated as Good Governance Day across the country, every year.

In Manipur too the campaign of good governance, was celebrated across the 16 districts during this week. It is a novel initiative envisaged by the GOI, Department of Administrative Reforms @ Public Grievances.

The objective as is clear from the very name, Sushasan Saptah, is to showcase the activities performed or accomplished by the governmental agencies in delivering goods and benefit to the cause of public services. After all what the government machineries are meant for? Simply said, they are to ensure improvement in delivery of goods and services to the common man, in time and in tune with the changing circumstances.

We had of late seen such initiatives as 'Meeyamgi Numit', a Peoples' Day, in all the districts when on specified day, the public are listened to in respect of their grievances. The Head of the district assisted by all the relevant departments listen to the grievances faced by the people while seeking prompt delivery of services. They may vary covering the different areas at the district level.

Some may be asking for simple things like, income certificate, caste certificate and the like. Since these are not attended to promptly, as is the practice in the government system, 'Meeyamgi Numit' kind of redressal measures are immensely public-friendly and adds to the welfare of the people.

Government taken as a whole is considered not very prompt, or worst still, not timely at a time when the public needed support or relief the most. Delays often inordinate are the ways of governmental agencies, may be for a genuine reason or for ulterior considerations.

The accepted reason as felt by the common man is that the departments are not supportive, helpful, often cause problems by dragging things and more often than not, got the relief delayed for reasons often cast to doubtful integrity. Responsiveness is often hard to get in governmental transactions.

The GOI fully knowing well these grievances felt across the country by the public at large over the years, thought it wise to draw a curtain-raiser by invoking district level functionaries to show case their efforts, the achievements where they are perceptible, or let the public be aware of the efforts, the sincere measures they are taking to achieve the set goals. By organizing such workshops, where they would be able to showcase their achievements or even failures where they are, the public would be at ease and appreciate the sincerity of these functionaries.

The GOI drew very elaborate plans for this dissemination workshop held on 23 December where the district level functionaries would enumerate the several steps taken to achieve set goals in the sectors of development and how these have benefitted the public during the preceding quarter or so. For a more meaningful and uniform campaign, the GOI prescribes certain structures, certain steps to be followed during such workshops.

December 10 to 17, 2022 was categorized as the 'Preparatory Phase', The District authorities have been assigned to undertake what is termed, 'Mapping of all Districts' on the campaign portal, identification of targets for good governance practices, public grievance rehearsal and improving public service delivery.

The next phase termed as 'Implementation Phase', slated to be performed during December 19-24, 2022, when certain sub-sectors of the implementation stage are delineated is indeed very elaborate and perhaps too meticulously drawn.

The Centre directed the state and UT governments to conduct campaign on issues like, redressal of pending public grievances in CPGRAMS, of public grievances in the state and sharing them along with requisite pictures on the portal, disposal of service delivery applications, collation of good governance practices and sharing them along with requisite pictures on the portal.

The GOI even went to the extreme of asking the states for sharing 'one success story per district' on resolution of public grievances on the portal. The Centre acted too serious in that they have even dictated terms for conducting this workshop across the districts in the country on 23 December.

Delineating and deciphering the minutest steps some of which are touched upon earlier, it appears, the NDA government under PM Narendra Modi has indeed achieved laurels as far as this aspect of good governance is concerned. In the state too, on the lines of the specifications of the Centre, all the district authorities held workshops or better still discourses on 'welfare measures on schemes' implemented in the districts on 23 December.

This writer who worked as Deputy Commissioner in Thoubal district, (now bifurcated into two Thoubal and Kakching) was the Chief Guest of the function in Kakching district, on 23 December. Four line departments, Medical, Education, RD@PR and CAF@PD took pains to go into the details of their achievements in terms of what they achieved till date in their areas.

They took pains to elaborate achievements in their areas during the specified period. For instance, the CMO highlighted his so- called success story of vaccination of 94,259 people against COVID-19, in the district and subsequent securing of First Position in the state. He didn't count it important to narrate how the grievances of the people in securing these protective measures, which invariably should be there, were taken care of by his team and the likes of redressal measures.

On similar lines the CAF@PD representative neatly quoted success stories of implementing schemes like National Food Security Act, Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojna etc. The RD@PR department too took the same path by quoting his achievement figures like, constructing 595 pucca houses against a target of 2159 under PMGKY.

Musing over the concept of 'Good Governance', its intended significance, in the district, won't it be more appropriate if, e.g. how the beneficiaries faced difficulties in ensuring completion of the houses in time, what types of difficulties they had to face even in meeting the concerned officials to seek redressal of their problems, which, we are sure, they should have faced.

It would be fruitful if the district authorities recount how these were resolved to the satisfaction of the beneficiaries. Such narratives, such measures which the district authorities, the line authorities thought about to ease the hardships faced by the public would carry a lot more meaning in the context of 'Good Governance'. Merely quoting achievements doesn't address the other side of the success story.

With my exposure to the 20 odd departments in the government while in service, I firmly believe that the much enamored term 'good governance', implementing it or translating it into reality, delivering prompt service, to the common man, 'doesn't cost', not at all.

It perhaps costs in terms of certain level of initiatives, not necessarily confined to his stated department, but by going a little further by tying up with other line departments in the true spirit of reaching full benefit to the persons in time. It doesn't cost at all except for a little of effort on behalf of the public.