3 Review(s)

In this year's Citizens' Report on Governance and Development, the National Social Watch Coalition monitors and analyzes the Indian Government's performance in the four broad spheres-legislature, executive, judiciary and local government. Through the lens of fundamental economic and social values-such as rights, development, freedom and security-the report examines the sensitivity, efficiency and efficacy of the institutions in enforcing rights and ensuring delivery of public services. While reviewing the major developments of the year and probing the dynamics of democratization, the 2007 Report also: -highlights the casual and inadequate way in which parliamentary questions are posed and answered; -probes the reality of various reform measures and welfare schemes adopted by the government while cautioning against putting public resources into private projects, under the mantra of public-private partnership; -examines some important and controversial court verdicts and argues that solutions for the judicial system should have a demand-orientation, which protects the poor; and -observes that state governments have proved to be a bottleneck in implementing decentralisation, despite the consensus on what to do. By now, this annual Report-unique to the Indian political landscape-has developed into a fine tool for individual citizens and organised civil society to make government institutions more accountable. The latest edition will be welcomed by policy-makers, lawyers, scholars studying governance, journalists covering Indian politics, civil society activists and every concerned Indian.