Governance means security, not charity.

Mr Narendra Modi was elected Prime Minister by campaigning on the slogan, " Minimum government, maximum governance ". It means different things to different people. On the one hand you have the libertarians who want almost no interference from the government to others who advocate merging various ministries so as to have one minister coordinating related parts of the government, such as agriculture, irrigation and fertilisers, and still others who think it means restructuring the administration of public sector banks. Some have taken good governance to mean citizen participation through non-governmental organisations or NGOs. But is that really desirable? India already has over 2 million NGOs who raise money, do not publish their accounts and several are engaged in dubious activities against the state. Do we really need more do-gooders when the previous government was paralysed because of constant obstruction by activists? What is puzzling is the view that good governance can be achieved through philanthropy. The writer seems totally confused. On the one hand she writes," ...the government, business and civil society must work in tandem, to bring in development related changes." And then she says," I continue to believe and expect our social initiatives to succeed in spite of the government, not because of it." Although they mean well do-gooders do not seem to understand that governance has completely different meaning for who you talk to. The people of Delhi have voted overwhelmingly for the Aam Aadmi Party. Auto-rickshaw drivers want no interference by the police. Those living in illegal colonies want them to be ' regularised ' with proper infrastructure, paid for by the taxpayer, while others want free water and cheap electricity. The result has been that auto-rickshaw drivers are refusing to use their meters and are demanding excess fares, power cuts have become common and water rates are going up. Governance comes from the word ' govern ' which is the function of the government. The most basic function of governance can be stated in one word and that is ' security '. Which means securing our borders against our enemies while enforcing law and order inside the country. Trouble is our politicians believe that the law does not apply to them. They do not pay their bills and like to take freebies from wealthy friends. In return for what? The result is that we are ripped off through extortionate taxes, which makes Delhi Airport 230% more expensive than Dubai for Air India, and lose money even from life insurance. Governance is a must. It cannot be dependent on charity.