Special Lecture on “Good Governance and Constitutional Values”

Chandigarh, April 29, 2023: The Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), Punjab & Chandigarh Regional Branch and the Department of Public Administration, Panjab University, Chandigarh jointly organized a Special Lecture on “Good Governance and Constitutional Values”. The lecture was delivered by Professor Emeritus Balram Gupta, Former Director (Academics) Chandigarh Judicial Academy in the Department of Public Administration, Panjab University, Chandigarh.The lecture was presided over by Prof. B.S. Ghuman, Hony. Secretary, Punjab & Chandigarh Regional Branch and former Vice-Chancellor, Punjabi University, Patiala. Dr. Bharati Garg, Chairperson, Department of Public Administration, Panjab University welcomed the Speaker;Prof. Anju Suri, Dean Faculty of Arts; the faculty members from the Department, sister Departments and Colleges; the research scholars and the students.

Professor B.S.Ghuman while introducing the theme said that good governance is the key to efficient administration and there is a growing body of literature which suggests that good governance is one of the major determinants of economic and social development of a country. He emphasized that good governance refers to efficient and effective administration in a democratic framework. He further highlighted that good governance is equivalent to development oriented administration committed to improvement in the quality of life of the people.

Professor Balram Gupta opined that the main challenge togood governance is that it should be in accordance with the Indian Constitution and its values. He elaborated on the basic elements of good governance - fairness, transparency, accountability, elimination of arbitrariness, abuse and misuse of power. He illustrated all these aspects through the provisions of the Constitution and judgements of the Supreme Court with special reference to Kesavananda Bharati case and significance of the Basic Structure of the Indian Constitution. Dr. Gupta advocated that the trinity of Fundamental Rights, Directive Principles and Fundamental Duties must be harmonized to ensure good governance. He gave the motto “Government should mediate and not litigate”. He further emphasized that constitutional law is the mother of all laws and it involves application of Principles of Natural Justice. He distinguished between Constitutional Law and Administrative Law stating that Constitutional Law deals mainly with theory and Administrative Law deals with action. He stressed on linking Administrative Law with Constitutional Law.  He concluded his talk by suggesting that good governance is the healer of human suffering.

The lecture was followed by an engaging discussion by the participants including Dr. Namit Kumar and Sh. Gurdial Singh Pandher (IPS), DGP-NSG (Retd.) who added values to the theme.

Prof. B.S. Ghuman in his presidential remarks stated that Professor Balram Gupta’s observation that good governance is the healer of human suffering is the most important conclusion of the session. He further stated that if good governance is ensured, it will lead to citizen friendly, citizen caring and responsive administration having zero tolerance for corrupt practices. Dr. Bharati Garg, Chairperson, Department of Public Administration, proposed a formal vote of thanks.