General Studies (Paper - 4) : Model Question & Answers

Question: The credo of the state should be Minimum Government, Maximum Governance. Comment.

Answer: Governance is the manner in which power is exercised in the management of a country’s resources for development. In this process, the Govt. is an important but not the only participant. Since the govt.’s functioning can be marred by its unwieldy size and the monopolistic nature of its services, it becomes important to assign it with a facilitating and enabling role, while simultaneously promoting self-governance and more delivery of services by the private sector. This is what we mean by Minimum Government, Maximum Governance.

This credo is in accordance with the Gandhian principle of Swaraj. It emphasizes the importance of self-government, empowering the citizens to deal with local issues to be dealt with at the grassroot level itself. Self governance boosts local capabilities and ensures prompt resolutions to everyday matters. Further, the inter-personal contact and common objectives that are fostered help in combating prejudices and promote social cohesion. Finally, assigning more responsibilities to the private sector promotes competition, resulting in better quality and pricing of services. Simultaneously, it also keeps the discretionary powers of administration check.