Editorial

The narrative of governance and its changing contours impact the reformist discourse of a nation. Good governance is about creating responsible, legitimate and credible institutions. It is the key to a country’s prosperity and progress. India’s democratic experience of the past seven decades has clearly established that good governance must aim at reforms in different spheres of administration to confront efficiently emerging challenges and expand economic and social opportunities. The reform process being dynamic, depends for its success on the accountability, legitimacy, leadership and impetus of the government. The multi-dimensional nature of governance calls for capacity to deal with complex problems coherently across different levels and regions. This necessitates new approaches for inclusiveness, justice, empowerment and gender sensitivity in policies to realise the overarching goal of good governance.

Good governance, encapsulating social cohesion, public expenditure efficiency and transparency for check and control of corruption are vital for a number of key outcomes at the national and sub-national levels for achieving sustainable and inclusive economic growth. This issue brings out scholarly articles on matters pertaining to local governance, gender concerns in climate change policies, reforms in tax administration, governance and review of institutional and developmental issues in the North-East and regional disparities with a special focus on Western Odisha. The significance of bottom-up approach in governance constitutes the underlying thread of argument in all the articles.

The enactment of the Constitution Seventy-Fourth Amendment Act (74th CAA), 1992 is a noteworthy achievement of the Indian Government to strengthen Urban Local Bodies (ULBs). Local self-government institutions in India, being at the cutting-edge level of administration directly influence the well-being of the people by providing civic services and socio-economic infrastructure facilities. Ravindra Prasad and Pardhasaradhi in their article examine the context and spirit behind the 74th CAA and assert that ULBs are not functionally and financially empowered to be self-reliant. They point out the decentralisation deficit in ULBs as functional and financial devolution is not commensurate with political decentralisation. Despite changes in the political framework through reservations and regular elections, the 74th CAA left many aspects of municipal governance untouched. The authors examine the mismatch between promise and performance, emphasising the need to revisit and review the 74th CAA to transform the urban governance structures, procedures, processes and practices to enable ULBs to be self-governing institutions in letter and spirit.

Climate change is a sustainable development challenge, impacting not only the environment but also economic and social development. Most of the debates on climate change are centred on technicalities and relative obligation of countries, missing the complexities of structured gendered vulnerabilities. Gender awareness, substantive analysis and inclusive engagement are necessary in the formulation of global and national approaches, as well as in the strategic responses to specific sectors. India’s National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), which outlines mitigation and adaptation strategies for dealing with climate change, evidently fails to accommodate a gender dimension. Avantika Singh questions the inability of the government in comprehending gender-based structured vulnerabilities in policy legislation and execution. The NAPCC design, though in compliance with the intent of cooperative federalism, fails to take cognizance of the gender complexities functional at all levels of governance. The author affirms that equity and appropriate response strategies cannot be ensured without unravelling the gender differentiated impact of climate change.

Governance in North-East of India has been quite challenging as the institutions have not been successful in providing socio-economic and political opportunities to its people, accentuating the problem of political alienation and conflict. The Sixth Schedule of the Constitution sought to safeguard the rights of tribal population of this region through the formation of Autonomous District Councils (ADCs). The article by Prabhat Kumar Datta and Panchali Sen traces the governance of North-East in colonial phase and scans the institutional arrangements created under the Sixth Schedule. The autonomous councils, in general, have concentrated power amongst themselves, hampering the process of democratic decentralisation, paving the way for corruption and inefficiency. The corresponding administrative machinery in the form of local bodies in council areas has resulted in functional overlap and wastage of resources. The authors view that despite being rich in bio-diversity and bestowed with cultural uniqueness, the North-East experiences development and conservation deficit. They recommend that an attempt should be made for a creative blend of modern grassroots democracy with the traditional administrative institutions and processes for an all-inclusive development in the North-East.

Nicodim Basumatary and Bhagirathi Panda take the discussion forward on North-East by analysing the various institutional and developmental issues impacting the region. Undoubtedly, the North Eastern Region (NER) is one of the most institutionalised regions of India with North Eastern Council (NEC) constituted by an Act of Parliament in 1971, a separate Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER) created in 2001 for better coordination between the region and the union government. However, the initiatives designed to cater to the development needs of the states of NER have fallen short of the expectations and aspirations of people towards the growth of the region. The authors attempt to track the nature and practice of governance in NER in the post-Independence period, probe into the causes of turmoil and assess the impact of upheavals on development. They have substantiated their arguments by drawing extensively from the literature on the North-East.

The inextricable link between tax policy and tax administration has been highlighted by Parul Jain and Anil Kumar Jain with an emphasis on sound tax administration as a prerequisite to achieve the goals of tax policy. It is imperative to generate adherence to tax laws and compliance through rational and efficient procedures, high personnel standards, better management, improved public relations and periodic contacts with tax payers. The authors elaborate on different aspects of tax administration (assessment, arrears and pendency of appeals), along with relevant statistics for the period 1991–2016. They recommend strict penalty and prosecution provisions to avoid tax evasion and ensure voluntary compliance. The new potential areas of corruption with the reduction in controls after economic liberalisation and effects of parallel black money economy have been discussed at length. The authors underscore the importance of an accountable tax administration system and judicious spending of the taxpayers’ money.

Keshab Ratha endeavours to decipher the regional disparity in Western Odisha from a historical perspective and puts forward a case for a separate Koshal state. The author argues that economic backwardness, historical neglect, regional disparity, cultural dimensions, non-recognition of Koshli language and political discrimination are the fundamental causes behind the Koshal movement. Though a genuine movement for statehood, it has not been able to capture the political imagination of the people of Odisha to the extent it could have. The rationale behind the demand for creating a new state is the fact that the aspirations of the people can be fulfilled if the administrative power is given to them. Western Odisha is abound in natural resources and culture, but due attention has not been given to it by the political leadership. The author reinforces that the state government needs to take note of the vast unutilized growth potential of Koshal areas, strengthen rural infrastructure for agricultural development, boost the growth of agro-business, create rural employment, secure a fair standard of living for the agricultural workers and their families, and discourage migration to industrial areas. The editor’s experience as collector and district magistrate in Sambalpur indicates that coastal-Koshal division is more in the mindset than in the development process and outcomes. This is amply testified by the quantum of investment made in mining, irrigation, educational and health infrastructure, and so on.

This issue also presents five book reviews including Different Colours: Reflection of a Civil Servant by Nilamadhab Mohanty (reviewed by S. K. Mishra) and a note on ‘Criminal Justice System (CJS)… A Wake up Call to Improve’ by Vaibhav Krishna. The note suggests a holistic approach for the reforms in CJS, hinting at ease of registration of First Information Report, strengthening quality of investigation, overhauling the prosecution procedures, expediting judicial process, revisiting bail cancellation system and creating an environment of enforcement. The author enriches the note by sharing his professional experiences and citing relevant instances.

This issue makes it way when the world is experiencing global pandemic in the form of COVID–19. The new normal also presents opportunities for sustained innovation and learning. Though the pandemic mandates maintaining social distancing, the challenge lies in connecting virtually. Governance is all about crisis management, exhibiting resilience, preparedness and collective response to shape the future. The words of Martin Luther King that, ‘the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience but where he stands in times of challenge and controversy’, resonate perfectly at this moment.