Abstract
This special issue of the Indian Journal of Public Administration on the theme of ‘Constitutional Democracy: Changing Role of People-centric Administration’ comprises 13 Papers, two Notes, one Document, five Book Reviews, besides one comprehensive Bibliography.
Mool Raj Sharma focuses on the phenomenon of one-party—Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-dominance and the emerging dynamics of cooperation and conflict in Indian federalism. The author handles the contemporary trends of centralisation, conflicts and cooperation, and the bastions of regional parties, especially in Southern and Eastern India reasonably well.
Aditi Narayani deftly deals with the complex theoretical issues of people- centric democracy and accountability in political parties in India.
Vivek Puri delves into how constitutional democracy makes administration people-centric.
Nahida Begum reflects on the implementation of e-governance recommended by the Second Administrative Reforms Commission.
Prakash Khundrakpam looks at citizen-centric administration through the lens of a Gandhian Constitution for Free India.
Naved Ashrafi outlines Jawaharlal Nehru’s vision for a citizen-centric administration. Due to the transition from government to governance, the stakeholders’ participation has become an important phenomenon in recent years in India. Involving stakeholders in the formulation of educational policies increases the quality of the educational system.
Rashi Sharma and Rajnish Kumar provide an insight into the New Education Policy (2020) through a bottom-up approach.
Pratip Chattopadhyay offers a critical estimate of the Kanyashree Programme in the West Bengal government from the perspective of gender-centric administration and good governance.
Showkat Ahmad Wani seeks to draw attention to the percolation of constitutional morality, thanks to the Indian judiciary.
Rajbir Singh Dalal and Sandeep Dhilon’s paper attempts to highlight and understand constitutional provisions vis-à-vis reality of democratic decentralisation and Panchayati Raj Institutions in India.
Phulmoni Das and Robin Hazarika, in their paper, analyse citizen-centric administration in the context of Assam with special reference to the Assam Chah Bagicha Dhan Puraskar Scheme. This paper also highlights the perceptions and challenges of the tea-garden workers while accessing the financial inclusion measures in their respective tea estates.
Common Service Centres (CSCs) are proving to be a boon in rural and hilly areas. Sapna K. Sharma and Babita Sharma, through their case study of Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh, opine that CSCs are a useful initiative taken by the government for efficient service delivery to its citizens and their services, and its scope must be broadened in the forthcoming years.
The last paper by Mayengbam Nandakishwor Singh examines the constitutional journey of local governments in India, while exploring the fiscal and federal challenges faced by them.
The two Notes by Anika Chaudhary and Partha Pratim Borah, respectively, deal with people-centric constitutional democracy and local self-governance in the Sixth Schedule Areas of Assam.
This issue’s Document throws light on Meghnad Saha as a visionary in Science outlining his Mission 1893–1956 as captured by a historian, J. N. Sinha.
Finally, this issue of the journal concludes with five book reviews and a comprehensive Bibliography by Meena Mishra.