Rethinking Governance for a Responsible India

 In a country with one of the world's largest budgets, it is disheartening to see citizens still struggling for the most basic public goods like clean air, safe water, efficient transport, and resilient infrastructure. Every March, a phenomenon known as "March Rush" sweeps through government departments, where unspent funds are hurriedly allocated before the financial year closes. This not only reflects inefficiency but also the lack of long-term planning in our public expenditure system. So, the issue is not the absence of funds but the absence of foresight and continuity in how those funds are deployed.

Equally concerning is our persistent reliance on L1 Bidder Model, where contracts are awarded solely to the lowest bidder. While this may appear fiscally prudent but it often compromises quality, innovation and sustainability. There are various examples of it like Vivekanand Flyover Collapse (Kolkata,2016), Morbi Bridge Collapse (Gujarat,2022), Harang Bridge Collapse (Assam, 2025) and recent SSC exam controversy involving Eduquity Career Technologies exposes the pitfalls of India's overreliance on the L1 bidding model. In a rapidly modernizing nation, where infrastructure and service delivery form the backbone of development, such an approach undermines durability. A shift towards a Quality-cum-Cost-Based Selection (QCBS) model already planned in some sectors can make procurement truly developmental rather than merely transactional.

But governance failures go beyond budgets and tenders. Take for instance Delhi's recurring pollution crisis, a tragedy that reappears every winter yet rarely triggers structural reform. The irony of our times is summed up in the saying, "if you can't change the data, then just change the data." Recent reports by independent news journalists like Peek TV exposes 'data manipulation' attempts at Delhi's air quality monitoring stations to artificially reduce particulate readings. Such actions are deeply worrying not merely for what they do to the air but for what they do to the trust.

A similar narrative unfolds with the Yamuna river. Recently, a perception circulated that the river had cleaned enough for devotees to take a holy dip during Chhath Puja. But ground realities showed that artificial ghats were temporarily created, filled with clean water from external sources, while just a few metres away the Yamuna remained toxic and frothing. This selective beautification reflects a growing trend of cosmetic governance where optics overshadow outcomes. But it is our collective failure as citizens and institutions to ensure accountability and transparency. What is needed is a synchronised, data-driven governance system that relies on credible information, independent audits and people's participation.

The government's commitment to youth skill development, and digital empowerment schemes like Skill India and Startup India is commendable. But the crucial gap still persists when it comes to awareness. Many potential beneficiaries remain unaware of the opportunities available to them. In an era of social media outreach and digital campaigns, ensuring the information reaches every household should not be an uphill task.

The same logic applies to data transparency. In today's information-driven world, governance is only as strong as its data systems. We still relies on outdated datasets and projections for policymaking in crucial areas like employment, population distribution etc. As someone who has filed RTIs for basic information and received no reply, I can personally attest to the opacity that still exists in our information ecosystem. So strengthening the Right to Information Framework and ensuring real-time data disclosure will improve democratic accountability as our values are based on the 'Westphalian Model' not the 'Middle-Kingdom order influenced Syndrome'.

As someone who believes in diplomacy as a bridge between people and policy, I believe India's true global strength begins at home with cleaner air, transparent governance and credible data. Criticism when constructive is not an act of defiance but devotion. And as an aspiring diplomat, I do not wish to stand on either side of blame or defence but on the side of reason. So we don't need to paint over problems to look good, we need to confront them to be good. So, I take pride not in pretending that everything works, but in believing that everything can.

                                                                                                             - Tanu ki Kalam se..