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Concise Encyclopedia of Indian Polity & Governance Reviewed by B. B. Goel THE dynamic aspect of any form of a civil government is governance. The quest for governance, however, is conditioned by an awakened citizenry, activist populace, strong political will and the mindset of functionaries, and above all, an urge to learn and share experiences mutually. In the Indian context, the roadmap for governance is clearly reflected in national concerns, promising a responsible, accountable people-friendly decentralised and transparent administration for safeguarding aspirations, needs and expectations of the poorest of the poor.
The encyclopedia contains about 350 alphabetically arranged entries on varied facets of principles, practices and concepts of Indian polity and governance. The author rightly observes that Indian polity presents a via media between the principles of parliamentary sovereignty and judicial supremacy. He vehemently criticises representative legitimacy as nearly 70 per cent of representatives are elected by minority of votes cast. He favours removal of a government only by a constructive vote of no-confidence duly passed by a special majority thereby providing name of proposed successor to ensure continuity in government. As regards Union-State relations, he avers that the only way to strengthen the "Union" is to make it lose its extra weight and concentrate on essentials. Commenting on the menace of corruption, he alleges that all Indians are guilty. More so because corruption undermines legitimacy of government democratic values such as trust and tolerance. He reiterates the role of citizen-friendly governance and cautions that public administrators instead of being at the service of people continue with their colonial mai-baap outlook. He ungrudgingly recommends establishment of an independent Civil Service Board to be freed from clutches of politicalisation. One of the tests of an encyclopedia is that it provides conceptual and historical knowledge about different areas of one particular subject in an impartial and unbiased manner to elicit broad acceptance without resorting to undue criticism and suggested remedies. On the contrary, one finds lots of criticism and recommendations constituting a lion’s share of the volume, the author having drawn heavily from the report of the National Commission to review working of the Constitution being the chairman of drafting committee. There was enough scope for clubbing 350-odd entries to skip duplication as well as ensuring adequate and consistent coverage at the expense of others. For instance, discussion on Parliament finds place under various subheads, e.g., "Functions of Parliament", "Council of States", "Houses of Parliament", "Legislature", "Members of Parliament", "Parliament", etc. Conversely, the entry like "Public Undertakings", which ought to find a prominent place in view of recent role assigned to the public sector, is covered barely in five lines. Besides, Supreme Court judgements have repeatedly been quoted as if the book is strictly meant for those who have good command of law. Tighter editing could have removed the inconsistency in presentation of facts and figures without adhering to a particular cut-off date; factual errors (latest 12th Finance Commission set up in 2002); and embarrassments like a detailed explanation of the Preamble of Constitution under the entry "interest groups". The Indian democratic administration is at the crossroads. The strength of a country is determined by upholding the prestige and credibility of its institutions. It requires skilled self-aware political and professional leaders to act creatively with emphasis on knowing (purpose), doing (inspire and motivate others), and being (act ethically). Thus, the treatise on polity and governance deserves kudos to fill the void in literature by highlighting such aspects lucidly, nicely and comprehensively. Overall, this reference
book would be of interest for all those keenly examining and evaluating
evolutionary and on-going processes of polity and governance in the
Indian setting.
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Concise
Encyclopedia of Indian Polity & Governance
is a laudable effort by Subhash C. Kashyap who is a constitutional
authority. It vividly provides an overview of India’s political system
and its evolution, critically examines structure and functioning of
state organs and their inter-relationships and also provides remedial
measures for all round development.