The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013 establishes Lokpal at the central level and Lokayuktas at the state level as statutory anti-corruption institutions. These bodies were created to investigate allegations of corruption against public officials, thereby strengthening transparency, accountability, and public trust in governance. While Lokpal covers corruption cases involving the Prime Minister, Union Ministers, Members…
Whistleblowing refers to the act of exposing bribery, corruption, fraud, abuse of power, incompetence, or unethical conduct within public, private, or third-sector organizations. The disclosure may be made either internally to authorities within the organization or externally to regulators, media, or the public. In recent years, whistleblowing has gained prominence not only in the public…
Social accountability refers to the obligation and responsibility of the government to be answerable to citizens for its actions, decisions, and outcomes. It goes beyond internal government checks and emphasizes direct citizen involvement in evaluating governance performance. At its core, accountability of public officials is a cornerstone of good governance. Without it, democracy becomes procedural…
Introduction Imagine you are a labourer in a drought-relief work programme in rural Rajasthan. You have worked every single day for a month. But when you go to collect wages, you are told your name does not appear on the muster roll. Someone has pocketed your wages under a ghost entry. You know it is…
Ethical governance, at its core, is about how power is exercised in public life. It means conducting governance with fairness, transparency, integrity, and accountability, while always keeping the public interest at the centre. In simple terms, it answers a fundamental question: For whom is governance meant?The answer, in an ethical system, is clear — for…
The Sustainable Development Goals outline an exceptionally ambitious and all-encompassing agenda for worldwide development by 2030. India has implemented numerous proactive measures to integrate the SDGs into the policies, schemes, and programs of the government. Environmental Governance and Sustainable Development: Linkage Integration of Economic, Environmental, and Social Objectives Environmental governance seeks to balance economic development…
Environmental protection and the prevention of environmental degradation have emerged as urgent governance challenges in the contemporary world. As awareness grows about the adverse impacts of human activities—such as industrial pollution, deforestation, and climate change—states are expected to respond with coherent and effective policies. However, in practice, policy contradictions across sectors and stakeholders often dilute…
Environmental governance refers to the frameworks, institutions, policies, and practices through which societies identify, manage, and resolve environmental challenges. In simple terms, it is the system of decision-making that decides how we use natural resources, how we prevent environmental damage, and how we correct harm when it occurs. Think of environmental governance as the bridge…
If Citizen’s Charter defines what the government promises, and Sevottam explains how the government should deliver, then Social Audit answers a far more powerful question:👉 Did the programme actually make a difference on the ground? In that sense, Social Audit is the voice of the people in governance. What is Social Audit? A Social Audit…
If Citizen’s Charter tells the citizen what to expect, the Sevottam Model tells the government how to deliver it well. In that sense, Sevottam is the operational backbone of citizen-centric governance. What is the Sevottam Model? The Sevottam Model has been developed with the overarching objective of improving the quality of public service delivery in…
