Good governance in India: The concept and the practice

The concept of good governance came into limelight in 1990s when it was popularized by international funding agencies. India also showed concern to the ideas of good governance. Many initiatives have been taken to bring about qualitative changes in the governance pattern and mechanisms. This paper is an attempt to discuss the concept of good governance in Indian context, what kind of initiatives have been taken and how far they are successful in achieving the objectives of good governance. The study is based on secondary data collected from various books, journals, newspapers, and websites. The study concludes that good governance does not depend merely on the good policy design but more importantly on the proper implementation of the Policy. However the principle of good governance is not new to the society. Its basis can be found in the ideas of many political philosophers. Plato advocated for the ideal of a highly trained administration and political class, dedicated to public service without consideration of personal happiness or financial gain. Thus principle of Raj Dharma of ancient times is converted into principle of good governance in modern times. So, principle of good governance has always remained the central point of the governance in ancient times So, when international community raised the issues of governance especially related with third world countries, it also became a major concern in India. Tenth five year plan (2002–2007) picked up this issue by introducing a chapter in it on ―Governance and Implementation‖. Government at all levels needed to be more transparent and accountable, and it can be maintained only by eradicating corruption.