Urgent Call for Governance Reforms in India: Insights by Manish Tewari
India, with a population of 146 crores, is facing a critical juncture in its governance and administrative structures. As the newly elected Parliament embarks on its 48-month term, urgent recommendations for reforms are being advocated to meet current and future challenges.
At the heart of these recommendations is the need for **comprehensive administrative reforms**. Past commissions, such as those led by M. Veerappa Moily, have outlined a detailed 13-point mandate covering various aspects of governance. However, these recommendations have largely been ignored by the bureaucracy and political leadership. It is now urged that the Indian Parliament constitute a permanent financial committee, akin to the Public Accounts or Estimates Committee, with a dedicated focus on legislative and policy reforms in administration over the next full term. This reform should dismantle outdated colonial structures and produce sustained, non-cosmetic improvements in governance.
Another crucial aspect of the reforms is **civil services modernization**. To support the vision of a $30 trillion economy by 2047, reforms must focus on making civil servants citizen-centric, result-oriented, and future-ready. This includes building skills in emerging technologies like AI, IoT, and Big Data, overcoming resistance to change, enhancing capacity in frontline public services, strengthening inter-ministerial coordination, and reforming tax administration.
The need for a **legislative and institutional framework improvement** is also emphasized. Comprehensive governance reforms that include ethical governance, participative public service delivery, crisis management, and strengthening federal dynamics require sustained legislative action and political will.
In addition, **global governance reforms** are being advocated. Indian leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stresses the need for reforms in international governance institutions like the UN Security Council to better represent the interests of the Global South. Such reforms aim to democratize decision-making and address global challenges more equitably.
The quality of human resources in the administrative and law enforcement apparatus is a significant concern. The colonial era structures of the Indian government, put in place by the British, have not been dismantled. In rural areas, the primary contact of Indians with the Indian state is often a patwari, kanungo, or a police officer at the level of a beat constable or police havildar. In conflict-prone areas, the interaction may be limited to armed forces personnel.
In urban areas, the contact with the government is often limited to rent-seeking civic authorities and an exploitative police apparatus. The average budget of a district in India for revenue, capital, and developmental work is over 1,000 crores, yet the administrative and governance system is in a ramshackle state.
Two administrative commissions have been set up to recommend administrative reform: one in 1966 and one in 2005. The reports submitted by these commissions have been largely ignored by the bureaucracy and political executive. It is now crucial that the Parliament constitutes a permanent financial committee to study, update, recommend, and legislate comprehensive administrative reform in the country.
In conclusion, the urgent governance reforms recommended for India focus on institutional restructuring, capacity building and skill development of civil services, technology adoption, citizen-centric administration, and strengthening democratic legislative oversight. These measures aim to replace outdated colonial frameworks, boost efficiency and responsiveness, and prepare India to meet ambitious economic and social goals. The underlying consensus is that these reforms require sustained political commitment and effective parliamentary mechanisms to enact and implement them robustly.
The Indian Parliament is urged to constitute a permanent financial committee, with a focus on legislative and policy reforms in administration, as part of the comprehensive administrative reforms needed to replace outdated colonial structures and improve governance.
To meet India's vision of a $30 trillion economy by 2047, the need for civil services modernization is emphasized, focusing on making civil servants citizen-centric, result-oriented, and future-ready, including building skills in emerging technologies like AI, IoT, and Big Data.
