New Delhi, December 17: In India, ‘good governance’ is one of the most obvious but most important thing which common citizens expect from Government. In fact it is the most important duty which any govt officer, from national to village level should perform. Lt Governor of Puducherry Kiran Bedi sets an example of not only 'good' but an accecible and transformational governance through innovative initiatives. One such initiative is 'Open House' in which any Puducherry citizen can directly meet the LG without appointment!
The above picture shows how Lt Governor directly interacts with common citizens on their grievances.
After the assumption of Dr. Kiran Bedi as the Lt. Govenor of Puducherry, a newly instituted system of appointments was introduced where any persons or group of maximum 5 persons could meet the Lt. Governor between 5 to 6 pm from Monday to Wednesday. A maximum of 40 entry passes are issued each day. The entry passes can be obtained from the main gate of Raj Nivas on a ‘first come first serve’ basis. There is no discrimination whatsoever in obtaining these entry passes.
"People who want to personally present their grievances or need help come with a written petition. All are heard by me, my private secretary, and the chief grievances officer. Each petition merits its own response. This lasts two hours. We stand behind a desk and hear the petitioners. Since we don’t sit, work here is swift. On an average, 40 petitioners are attended to. They often come with friends and family. In other words, nearly a hundred people visit Open House. They spread the message of their faith in Open House" - Kiran Bedi
The Open House is open for residents of Puducherry from Monday to Wednesday and for serving, retired government servants from 6 to 7 pm on Wednesdays. Open House on Thursdays and Fridays are devoted to the people of outlying regions of Karaikal, Mahe, and Yanam VIA videoconferencing.
We today see much distress in people against the government officials. The main reason behind is that there often lacks the direct contact and face to face communication between common people and the government officials. lacking of such direct interaction not only refrains people from conveying their genuine problems to the government but it also generates misunderstandings in the society. The solution discovered by Kiran Bedi on this grave problem is worth emulating in every nook and corner of India!