Transparency and Accountability in Administration

Introduction

Administration has a vital bearing on a country and its people. In ancient India right from
Vedic Days, it has been avowed objective of administration to be responsive, transparent,
accountable and citizen friendly. These factors could be regarded as the touchstone of any
administrative set up. The administration of Koutilya during the Mouryan period was more or
less centralised with an effective system of intelligence gathering. During Mogul period the
concept of centralised administration continued with greater vigour. Accountability and
transparency in this centralised administration were conspicuous by their absence. Then came the
colonial administration of British. Here again the basic format was of a centralized
administration. There was a vertically controlled administrative set up with a District Magistrate
and Collector as the key figure. The Collector in the eyes of the people was "Mai-Bap" whose
job was to maintain law and order and collect revenue. While the administration was efficient, it
had hardly any room for being responsive, accountable and transparent. It was not responsive
and not citizen-friendly. These concepts however underwent a sea change in later years with a
token participation of people at various levels. Many administrative innovations were no doubt
brought about in various fields like social, economic and technological, but these were mere
cosmetic changes and primarily intended to suit the colonial requirements.

The primary concern of the citizens in a good civil society is that their government must be fair
and good. For a Government to be good it is essential that their systems and sub-systems of
Governance are efficient, economic, ethical and equitable. In addition the governing process
must also be just, reasonable, fair and citizen friendly. For these and other qualities and good
governance, the administrative system must also be accountable and responsive, besides
promoting transparency and people's participation. The test of good governance lies in the goals
and objectives of the government, in it's policies and programmes, in the manner of their
execution, in the result achieved and above all in the general perception of the people about
quality of functioning of various agencies, their attitude and behaviour towards the people, their
sincerity, honesty and their commitment towards the public duties. Good governance implies
accountability to the citizens of a democratic polity and their involvement in decision making,
implementation and evaluation of projects, programmes and public policies. In this perspective,
transparency and accountability become invaluable components of good goverance as well as of
good administration. Transparency makes sure that people know exactly what is going on and
what is the rationale of the decisions taken by the Government or its functionaries at different
levels. Accountability makes sure that for every action and inaction in government and
itsconsequences there is a civil servant responsible and accountable to the government, the
society and the people.

World Banks Conceptualisation of a Good Administration

In this context, it is relevant to recall the conceptualisation of a good administration by World
Bank. It has identified a number of aspects of a good administration which has assumed
significance for the developed and developing countries. These aspects of good administration
are as follows :

i. Political accountability.

ii. An established legal framework based on the rule of law and independence of
judiciary to protect human rights, secure social justice and guard against exploitation and abuse
of power.

iii. Bureaucratic accountability ensuring a system to monitor and control the performance of
government offices and officials in relation to quality of service, inefficiency and abuse of
discretionary powers. The related determinats include openness and transparency in
administration.

iv. Freedom of information and expression needed for formulation of public policies, decision
making, monitoring and evaluation of government performance. It also includes independent
analysis of information by the professional bodies, including the universities and others vital for
establishment of a civil society.

v. Cooperation between administration and civil society organisations, is also

essential.

Transparency and accountability are often talked about in the context of administration in
general and civil services reforms in particular.

Different Dimensions of Transparency

Transparency is to be ensured in different dimensions namely,

i. Openness in public dealings.

ii. Right to information relating to service delivery process.

iii. Right to information relating to criteria and their applications.

iv. Right to information to public expenditure / contracts.

v. Enactment relating to Right to information.

vi. Code relating to access to information

vii. Openness in the cost of the project, quality standard etc.

Working Group on Right to Information

In the context of national debate on effective and responsive administration initiated in
November' 1996 by the Govt. of India, it was decided to formulate specific measures for
introduction of greater transparency in the functioning of government and public bodies, with
reference to both their own employees and public. It was also considered necessary to provide
easy access of citizens to information relating to operation of government and public agencies
subject to specified exceptions. Accordingly a working group of right to information and
promotion of open and transparent government was set up in January'1997 by the Ministry of
Personnel to examine the feasibility and need of a full fledged Right to Information Act and its
introduction in a phased manner to meet the needs of open and responsive govenment. The
working group submitted its report in May'1997 and circulated in the Conference of the Chief
Ministers held on May 25, 1997.

There was a broad consensus in support of legislation for freedom of information. The decision
taken in the conference in enter alia, includes following :

"The Government of India would take immediate necessary steps in consultation with the State
Governments for examining the report of the working group on Right to Information and for
introduction in Parliament before the end of 1997 a legislation for freedom of information and
amendments to the relevant provisions of the officials secrets Act 1923 and the Indian Evidence
Act."

Need to Review the Archaic Acts

In the preceding context, there is imperative need to review the archaic acts which impinge on
Right to Information. There is urgent need for amendment of the archaic laws such as Official
Secrets Act 1923, Indian Evidence Act 1872 and Criminal Procedure Code 1908 which were
obviously drafted with a view to subserve the interest of the colonial foreign government. The
perpetuations of these laws in the 50 years after independence and their reinforcement through
conduct rules has only throttled the free flow of information relating to matters of public interest
and thus helping the unscrupulous and undesirable political masters and bureaucrats in covering
up their nefarious activities, behind the protective shield of these archaic laws and rules.
Therefore in the changed context the sooner these laws are amended the better it will be in the
interest of the nation. In fact this is the simplest and the best way in which the present
govenrment could demonstrate it's seriousness to the cause of probity in public life and thus fulfil
it's commitment to cleanse it by providing an open and transparent government. The attempt by
the Central Govt., to formulate Right to Information Bill is a step in the right direction.

Technological Opportunities for Ensuring Transparency

The growing power of Information Technology has opened up possibilities which did not exist
previously. The rapid processing and dissemination of information is allowing closer scrutiny of
administrative action, thus affecting the apaqueness perpetrated by colonial administrative
structure.
Computerised network of information at various levels of administration and it's agencies could
facilitate services and administrative actions with transparency e.g. issue of revenue records and
certificates simplified and speedy system of securing approval and permits and redressal of
grievances.

Progressive States and Transparency

There is a distinct tendency for administration in some of the progressive states to encourage
transparency. In Kerala Government had made it mandatory for administrative agencies to
display on bill boards the details about the project and contract for the people's appraisal. In
Andhra Pradesh the decision of Government taken at different levels including the cabinet are
put on the internet and the media.

Concomitants of Transparent Administration

In the preceding context the question arises as to what are the concomitants of a transparent
administration.

These could be :

i. Accountability

ii. Effective and speedy public grievances redressal system.

iii. Empowering elected local bodies in rural and urban areas and decentralised
delivery of services.

iv. Review of laws, regulations and procedures.

v. Right to information.

vi. Access of the public to information from public offices and creation of facilitation
counters.

vii. Code of ethics for public service.

viii. Tracking corruption and cleaning the administration.

Need for Facilitation Centres to Promote Transparency

To have transparency and accountabilityin administration it is essential to have

facilitation centres. Such centres shall be effective instruments for securing transparency.
These centres shall perform following functions :

i. Provide information regading services and procedures through brochures,

booklets, reports etc.
ii. Provide information regarding position of waiting list and applications through
computer screens updated everyday and through computerised querry to departmental data base.

iii. Provide information regarding matters, such as bills payment, registration, land
house allotment etc.

iv. Forms which are to be utilised for various procedures should be available at the processing
centres.

v. Receive complaints, issue acknowledgement slips etc.

vi. Time limits and other details to be notified by it through display boards for disposal of
different cases.

vii. Utilising interactive voice system whereever feasible for enquiry and response.

Administration and Rule of Law

It is imperative that administration is subject to the rule of law with an inbuilt system of
accountability. During the British days, the Indian Civil Service was described as the steel frame.
But in post independent India, Bureaucrats were required not only to be efficient but responsive
with a high sense of integrity. Bureaucracy is an instrument of Govt., designed to fulfil the broad
objectives of good governance and to be citizen friendly. It is also imperative that qualities of
leadership are developed in administration for the good of the poor and down-trodden. Let us go
back to our constitution. The Preamble of the Indian Constitution stipulates the goal of
administration. The most important goal is to 'Secure for all citizens, justice, social, economic
and political'. Ironically, administration has not succeeded in translating the philosophy of
welfare state and good governance embodied in the constitution. Administration is increasingly
viewed as an outdated, self-seeking and secretive agencywhich is responsible for stalling the
welfare of the citizens. There is considerable frustration particularly among the weaker sections
of the society about apathy, irresponsive and lack of accountability of public servants. Growing
corruption in administration with a strong nexus with vested interests like politicians, Criminals,
Business class and some bureaucrats has weakened the body structure of our administration.
Effective administration is vital for delivering good governance to our people. The avowed
objective of good governance is to ensure that the people get a stable, honest, transparent and
efficient government capable of accomplishing allround development.

Implementation of progress within a stipulated time frame is also essential for saving cost and
making it effective. Former Prime Minister Mr.Manmohan Singh had observed that the system
of administration in the country is ill-equipped to fulfil our national objectives and the
aspirations of the common man. In this context the need for administrative reforms assumes
prime importance. The objectives of administrative reforms which could support the goal of
good governance are clear. We need an administrative system that will be responsive,
transparent, efficient and accountable. The functioning of the administration should be open and
accountable. How true is the saying that honesty and ability to decide between the right and
wrong are qualities as important as professional competence. We have already mentioned about
the need for an effective delivery system at economic cost so that the fruits of development can
reach the common man within the shortest possible time at competitive cost. In the context of
our country where majority of the people are victims of poverty and neglect, we have to have an
administrative system that will have a heart that feels for the poor and a mind that cares for their
needs. The civil service in India has been recognised as a formidable human resource and is
capable of achieving the objectives of building a strong, prosperous and self confident India.
Often lapses in the administration are attributed to poor political leadership. Political interference
in day to day work often affects the working of administrative system. Instances are not
infrequent when honest officers are penalised by way of transfers. It is time that the officers
stand up to such political vilification and ensure justice to all free of fear and intimidation.

Conclusion

Let us not forget that administration can not deliver public good unless the political leadership
firmly upholds people's interests and national interest as supreme. It is therefore necessary that
implementation of schemes and monitoring are given priority. Delays and slippages in
implementation must not be allowed at any cost. It is essential to close the gap between people's
aspirations and Government's performance. There is an urgent need for ensuring transparency
and accountability in administration so that the objective of socioeconomic development of our
country can be achieved. A good and transparent administration is vital for citizens and require
an effective delivery system as an instrument of good governance. Governments are in the
business of politics and power and some times in the business of diplomacy. The primary
responsibility however for securing transparency in administration lies and will continue to lie on
the people themselves. A vigilant and well informed public opinion, people's participation in
administration and development, an honest media are essential for promoting a transparent and
efficient administrative system. Let us hope that with the advent of Panchayati Raj and
increasing participation of people in administration at grassroots, we would succeed in giving a
transparent, responsive, efficient and accountable government which will help in building a
politically strong and economically vibrant India.