Vice President Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu today stressed that good governance needs “good legislatures” to ensure the accountability of the executive to the people. He said that by using various instruments such as question time, short talks, debates on bills, etc., elected officials can question the government on the implementation of policies, execution of various welfare and development projects. For that, Shri Naidu observed, it takes “good lawmakers” who do their best to do justice to the trust people place in them.
Shri Naidu expressed concern that the oversight and accountability functions of legislatures have fallen short of expectations with continued disruption and forced adjournments. “Dysfunctional legislatures lead to compromised governance as there would be no fear among the executive of being questioned in the legislatures,” he noted.
The Vice-President observed that Rajya Sabha lost around 61% of the total time in Question Time due to disruptions during the winter session which has just ended. This is a serious abdication of the important oversight function of the House, he noted.
“If a member of parliament or deputy does not perform their duties effectively, they would have no moral right to question the executive at different levels,” the vice-president stressed.
The Vice President paid rich tributes to the late former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Chennai on the occasion of his 97th birthday, which is celebrated as “Good Governance Day”. In a video message from Raj Bhavan, Chennai, Shri Naidu said that Ajal ji is one of the greatest Indian rulers of all time and one of the brightest stars in the Indian political firmament.
Shri Naidu recalled how Atal Ji firmly believed in putting people at the center of the development agenda and demonstrated how democracy can be strengthened through good governance in a people-centered fashion.
Observing that good governance builds people’s confidence in administration and catalyzes economic growth, Shri Naidu expressed concern about the existence of a “governance deficit” in the provision of services at the state government level. and local organizations. He pointed out that such a deficit increases time and cost overruns, undermines the goal of socio-economic progress and pushes people away from participatory governance. This needs to be dealt with as a priority, he urged.
The Vice President noted various initiatives to improve governance, such as the introduction of direct transfer of benefits, the opening of bank accounts for financial inclusion and the adoption of technologies to improve transparency, accountability and citizen participation in decision making. He called for the adoption of such initiatives at the second and third levels of governance.
Shri Naidu also suggested better use of citizen charters prescribing deadlines for service delivery to improve the quality of governance.
The Governor of Tamil Nadu, Shri RN Ravi was present during the floral tribute to Shri Vajpayee.
Here is the full text of the message:
“To begin with, allow me to pay my humble tributes to former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his 97th birthday today. One of the greatest Indian leaders of all time and one of the brightest stars in our political firmament, the charismatic former prime minister was an outstanding parliamentarian, capable administrator, poet, writer, orator by excellence and above all a great human being.
Atalji was an exemplary champion of consensus politics, which throughout his active political life demonstrated this spirit of understanding and mutual concessions. A reformist with a far-sighted vision, his tenure will always be remembered for inaugurating the revolution in connectivity and citizen-centered governance. I am happy to know that a week of “good governance week” has been observed since December 20, 2021.
Atal Ji firmly believed in putting people at the center of the development agenda and demonstrated how democracy can be strengthened through good governance in a people-centered fashion.
Governance is the process by which decisions are made and the process of their implementation. Decisions are made and implemented through an institutional mechanism designed to meet the needs of society. Ultimately, governance aims to improve the quality of life of populations and enable them to meet their hopes and aspirations. Good governance is therefore a measure of the efficient delivery of goods and services of all kinds that matter to people. Prompt and quality delivery of goods and services is at the heart of good governance.
Good governance strengthens citizens’ confidence in the administration and brings them together. Large sections of the population feel at the mercy of the Babus government even though the citizens are supposed to be the masters to serve which administrative structures are designed. It is a manifestation of the governance deficit. Such a deficit is a marker of the weak credibility of administrative agencies and undermines the objective of socio-economic progress in addition to drawing people away from participatory governance. The governance deficit at the forefront of service delivery, such as at the level of state governments and local agencies, is of particular concern and needs to be addressed as a priority.
Governance must inspire confidence in the people. Good governance catalyzes economic growth by building investor confidence. Investment flows are directly linked to the quality of decision-making and the culture of project execution. Excessive delays and the resulting cost and time overruns say a lot about governance. Our country has been doing badly in this regard for too long. Determined efforts have been launched in recent years to address this threat.
At the center, the execution of large-scale projects that have been dragging on for several years is regularly monitored at the highest level and this has made a huge difference. The introduction of direct benefit transfer has resulted in a substantial saving of valuable resources. The opening of delinquent accounts on a large scale ensures financial inclusion. Technology is being harnessed like never before to redesign governance architecture with visible impacts on transparency and accountability. Citizen participation in decision-making and governance is encouraged through the adoption of technology. Such initiatives must be adopted at the second and third levels of governance.
Citizen charters prescribing timelines for service delivery while ensuring timely decision-making would help improve the quality of governance. Some efforts have been initiated in this direction but still need to be placed on a solid base. The ease of doing business and the ease of living depend on the quality and culture of governance.
Democracy is a matter of governance with the participation of the people through elected representatives. After having fought for the freedom of “Swaraj”, the people of our country opted in one fell swoop for democracy so that our people could govern themselves by means of parliamentary democracy. This implies that the people have entrusted the legislatures with the responsibility of ensuring good governance for their benefit. The functions of representation, deliberation and control of our legislatures derive from the mandate of the people.
But unfortunately, sometimes our Parliament and our state legislatures betray the trust placed in them by the people. Legislatures are the main vehicles of good governance by discussing in detail the problems faced by the people; make the necessary laws to remove obstacles to socio-economic development and ensure the accountability of the executive to the people. But the functioning of our legislatures is falling short of expectations and is a matter of concern. In the 75th year of our independence, we find our nation lagging behind some of the countries in the region that were behind us in the middle of the last century. To make up for lost time and opportunities, our legislatures must operate differently.
The function of ensuring the accountability of the executive to the people through elected representatives has a lot to do with good governance. The rules of procedure of legislatures provide a variety of instruments to effectively discharge this important oversight function. These included; Question time, short discussions, notice of call for attention, debates on bills, motion of thanks to the president and governors, etc.
These instruments allow Members of Parliament and Members of Parliament to challenge governments for omissions and commissions in all matters of governance, including the implementation of policies, the execution of various welfare and development projects, etc. If the functioning of legislatures is disrupted by persistent disruption and forced adjournments, this important accountability function is seriously compromised.
Dysfunctional legislatures lead to compromised governance as there would be no fear among the executive of being questioned in legislatures. The constant decline in legislative assembly sessions and the loss of functional time due to disruptions relieves the executive, and the pattern of such disruption would foster the habit of neglect among the executive with serious implications.
The point is very simple. If an MP or MP does not perform their duties effectively, they would have no moral right to question the executive at different levels. We are aware of the link between politicians and officials and other administrative staff at various levels which results in compromised governance. It is the poor and weakest sections that suffer the most from such poor governance.
Speaking of the oversight function of legislatures, Rajya Sabha lost around 61% of total Question Time time due to disruptions during the just ended winter session. This is a serious abdication of the important oversight function of the House.
The point I like to stress is that good governance needs good legislatures that do justice to the three functions I mentioned earlier. Good legislatures need good legislators who live by the expectations of the people and do their best to do justice to the trust people place in them. The need of the hour is for such ideal legislators.
Good governance is too serious an issue to be taken lightly. Our country has paid a heavy price because of a governance deficit. In this 75th year of independence, we must make a solemn commitment to ensure good governance.
It is the worthy tribute that we can pay to the late Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee on the occasion of his birthday as he dreamed of such good governance and strove to guarantee it in various capacities as a parliamentarian. , Minister and Prime Minister.
Thank you!”
