Amid a huge hype over district good governance index in Jammu & Kashmir it is imperative for the people to know all about the basic indicators of good governance keeping in view the fact that concepts of the people have to be preferred over the concepts of others about surveys conducted for determining governance index in a district the basic unit of governance in any state or union territory of the country. Governance index can’t be determined either on assumptions or presumptions and such it is quite clear that not the perceptions of even governance expects but the work done on the ground is in itself a big governance index and never forget works completed on ground always bring about a perceptible change in the perceptions of the people about governance in a district, tehsil and a block. Governance Index basically has to be measured in the light of commitments made by the government in specific areas concerning public service delivery system and improvement and upgradation of basic social services through a process of institutional transparency and administrative accountability. Irrefutable fact is that commitments of the government on governance are based on programs and projects designed to upgrade the standard of basic social services and to establish benchmarks, goals and targets for completion of development works and projects of public utility in a time bound manner. After completion of development works the public reaction to the actions of the government is considered the basic index of governance in a district, tehsil and a block.
While for people the district good governance index is just a good beginning but not the end in itself as they are yet to know about the parameters, procedures and the overall process of the data collection pursued for determining district good governance index in Jammu & Kashmir, it is undoubtedly a turning point for bureaucrats Deputy Commissioners whose working has come under a scanner for the first time in Jammu & Kashmir .
Keeping in view the definitions of the basic indicators of good governance it can be said that the district governance index has to be measured in terms of the responses of the people to the actions of government on improvement and upgradation of public service delivery system and execution of basic social services in a district, tehsil and a block . By all standards of understandabilities the government has to measure the responses of the people to it’s actions on public service delivery system and improvement and upgradation in execution of basic social services the way a psephologist conducts a survey for the opinion poll about the prospects of political parties in assembly or parliamentary elections. In the eyes of governance experts the professional integrity of data collectors and the transparency in the methods of data collection are must for determining the governance index of a district or a tehsil or a developmental block. Use of an indicator and a methods for determining governance index shows the neutrality of a data collector and henceforth also the transparency of a survey conducted for determining the governance index of a district. While for people the district good governance index is just a good beginning but not the end in itself as they are yet to know about the parameters, procedures and the overall process of the data collection pursued for determining district good governance index in Jammu & Kashmir, it is undoubtedly a turning point for bureaucrats particularly Deputy Commissioners whose working has come under a scanner for the first time in Jammu & Kashmir.
