Governance and Public Policy | Notes | NCERT | Class 9th

Governance

• Governance is the process through which decisions are made, implemented, and monitored for the welfare of the people; it refers to the way a country, state, city, village, school, or organisation is managed, and understanding it is essential to know how government impacts our lives.
• Governance in a democratic system is based on transparency, accountability, participation, and the rule of law; it places citizens at the centre of the political process and is more people-centric and welfare-oriented.
• Solving public problems requires more than a government issuing orders—different institutions and citizens must work together, make decisions, implement them effectively, and remain accountable.

Government vs Governance

• Government refers to the institutions and authorities that exercise political power, while governance refers to the process by which decisions are made, implemented, and monitored in the public interest; the two are closely related but not synonymous.
• The government formulates and implements people-centric policies, and good governance ensures these policies are transparent, accountable, effective, and responsive to people’s needs.
• The government’s institutional setup influences the nature of governance, while governance initiatives require institutional adaptations to implement policies and schemes.

Evolution of Governance in India

• European powers colonised many societies in Asia, Africa, and the Americas, forcing their own models of governance and policy-making on colonised people who had earlier governed themselves through local and organic systems.
• Although most colonies became independent by the end of the 20th century, colonial institutions largely persisted and continued to dominate in contemporary times; India is not an exception to this colonial legacy.
• India stands out because it has preserved most of its pre-colonial institutions and traditions of governance through texts and practices, and after Independence in 1947, it was not possible to replace all colonial institutions at once.
• India’s leaders framed the Constitution in the spirit of India’s own values and ideals, and since Independence, Indian institutions have drawn upon traditional ideas of governance and adapted them to the needs of a modern democracy.
• The British ‘Order of the Star of India’ used the motto ‘Heaven’s Light, Our Guide’, but after Independence India adopted ‘Satyamev Jayate’ (Truth alone triumphs) from the Munḍaka Upaniṣhad as its national motto, reflecting the importance of Indian ethical values in public life.
• The motto of the Supreme Court of India is ‘Yato Dharmastato Jayaḥ’, taken from the Mahābhārata, meaning ‘Where there is Dharma (righteous duty), there is victory’; these changes signify the core values and ideals of Indian institutions and their responsibility to ensure good governance.
• Mahatma Gandhi visualised an ideal model of governance as Rām Rājya, rooted in probity, transparency, compassion, welfare, and people-centric orientation in governance and public policy.
• Gandhi’s idea of Rām Rājya reflects the collective Indian imagination, from the distant past to the present, that Rām Rājya is one of the best examples of good governance and a good collective life, as enshrined in the Rāmāyaṇa and the sixteenth-century Rāmcharitamānas.
• From the Vedic period to the Rāmāyaṇa and Mahābhārata, Indian tradition viewed governance as a sacred responsibility rather than merely a means of exercising power.
• Rājadharma, the foremost duty of an ideal king, was to protect the people by upholding Dharma (righteous duty) and promote the welfare of society; good governance was measured by the peace, prosperity, justice, and well-being in society, not merely by the ruler’s authority.
• Kauṭilya’s Arthaśhāstra states: प्रजासुखे सुखं राज्ञ: प्रजानां च हिते हितम् — Prajāsukhe sukhaṁ rājñaḥ prajānāṁ cha hite hitam — meaning “In the happiness of the people lies the happiness of the ruler, and in the interest of the people lies the interest of the ruler.”