Vision of vibrant India

All of us cherish democracy. Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the Nation had said, "True democracy is what promotes welfare of the people. "The success of democracy is, therefore, to be gauged by the extent of welfare its four estates promote for the people. These estates are the four pillars where upon rests the edifice of democracy. But the biggest and the strongest pillar of strength of democracy is the people's support to the system; this trust, faith and support is generated only by good governance that promotes common man's welfare. I, therefore, regard people's welfare as the fifth pillar of democracy. The four estates of democracy ought to nurture and work together to strengthen this fifth pillar; for if this key fifth pillar is shaken, people's faith in democracy as an effective system to promote their welfare would be undermined. —Extract from the book Given the vast scope of the subjects covered in the collection, it may be easier to focus on a few topics, as they are the ones that Shri Shekhawat has, in one way or the other, homed in on over the years. A glance at the contents page will reveal how close they are to Shri Shekhawat's heart and how passionate he is in bringing them to our notice. One subject is the malaise of corruption and its antidote—good governance, whether it is in the administration of government, in the political arena or in a corporate entity. The other is his pioneering Antyodaya programme, which brought the public into governance and led to a paradigm-shift in the concept of rural development in Rajasthan. And the insights of the two themes illumine and suffuse all that he touches. Nowadays a catchword, Good Governance is more often spoken of than it is practised. Also, since it has become fashionable, it has spawned the most arcane definitions, no two of which seem to agree with each other. It is, therefore, of interest to note Shri Shekhawat's understanding of Good Governance, based upon his own keen understanding and long and extensive experience of public administration.