Bridging the Governance Gap

Governance in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) continues to be plagued by red tape. Despite the Government of India’s excellent initiatives to promote digitalization and other human-centric initiatives, the deeply entrenched weaknesses in the governance system remain largely unresolved. Bureaucratic mindset, apathy, delays, and a lack of accountability have resulted in a system that alienates those it is designed to assist. If this issue is not handled, it risks alienating the population in a region that holds greater geostrategic significance. The solution lies in a human-centric approach to governance, with a significant emphasis on transforming bureaucratic attitudes and behaviours, and grounding these reforms within a national security framework.

The Root of the Problem

J&K’s region suffers from a lack of human-centered approach to administrative governance. The extended period of political turmoil in this region has left these governance issues unaddressed. Simple administrative tasks, such as getting any file processed or documentation from any public official, are unduly delayed under the guise of procedural time constraints and other formalities. For example, in J&K, the Revenue Department’s Citizen’s Charter specifies that certain services, such as providing extracts of Fard Intikhab, Girdawari, AKS-Masavi/Latha, and Jamabandi, should be completed within 10 days upon application to the concerned Naib Tehsildar. However, officials often utilize the entire allotted time, even when the tasks could be completed more promptly, leading to unnecessary distress for individuals. This lack of efficiency and empathy creates an impression of apathy, resulting in dissatisfaction and resentment among the populace. Moreover, there is no single-window clearance system in J&K, although it may exist on papers and documents, but in practice it is totally absent.

Furthermore, the lack of accountability and the normalizing of these bureaucratic inefficiencies in the minds of both the public and officials have reinforced a cycle of apathy. Common citizens, dehumanized and exploited by these bureaucratic departments, have come to accept these bureaucratic excesses as the norm. Over time, people accept these bureaucratic inefficiencies as their fate and stop resisting it as they fear possible public officials retribution. Moreover, this persistent abnormality of government officials towards the common public has become normalized in their mindset and public discourse, and people misinterpret this as “departmental standard operating procedures.” Moreover, even if these officials are questioned for their failure by some citizens, due to their long experience in their respective services, they can skillfully navigate them to evade their public responsibility, as they have learned the art and language of speaking lies, manipulating narratives, and justifying their incompetencies. This pervasive culture is more than just a governance failing; it also jeopardizes national security and stability in a region already plagued by many complicated socio-political issues.

The Overlooked Connection

Given J&K’s border status and its geostrategic location across the Himalayas, administrative inefficiencies must be looked at through the lens of the national security framework. Alienation caused by indifferent public officials creates despondency and hopelessness among citizens, allowing anti-national elements to exploit grievances. Thus, ensuring human-centric governance is more than just an administrative reform; it is a strategic necessity.

To win hearts and minds in Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian government has already made substantial investments in infrastructure, education, connectivity projects, healthcare, and digitalization and pursued various initiatives in different sectors. However, these programs will fail to achieve their intended outcomes unless the governance system is reformed to accommodate people’s daily struggles and response to their issues.

A Pathway to Reform

To overcome these systemic issues, a transformative strategy is needed. Changing the mindset of officials in J&K is critical. While technology has created some efficiencies, the true challenge lies in instilling public service ethics and empathy in the public officials. This can be accomplished through various measures. For example, sending J&K officials to other states on short-term assignments or workshops can help them learn from locations with more efficient and people-friendly governing structures. Exposure to other administrative cultures and practices will change their mindset towards a human-centred governance approach. Public administration ethics training should be mandated. Workshops and seminars can establish a sense of accountability and responsibility in officials, moving their focus from treating citizens as subjects to serving them as stakeholders. Introducing strong accountability measures, such as public feedback mechanisms and performance audits, can help to hold bureaucrats accountable for delays and inefficiencies. Empowering citizens to demand accountability through awareness campaigns can create pressure on officials to improve their conduct and efficiency.

Human-Centric Governance

A humane and empathetic governance system can transform the relationship between Delhi and its citizens in J&K. To combat alienation, it is critical to treat individuals with dignity and respect, and respond swiftly to their problems. The current demeaning treatment of citizens in administrative departments, where they are reprimanded, harassed, and ignored, only breeds a sense of alienation in them. There is a pervasive fear among poor, elderly, and other categories of vulnerable people when they approach any administrative official for redressal of their grievances in J&K, as they find themselves in a subject-king relationship before these officials. These public officials treat the general public in such a way as if the people don’t have any human agency and dignity. They treat people as subjects rather than citizens. By altering the bureaucratic mindset and culture, the government can ensure that the benefits of its programs reach the people, creating trust and goodwill.

If New Delhi can generate substantial goodwill in the hostile streets of Afghanistan by focusing on the high-impact community developmental projects there, why can’t it reform the governance mechanisms in J&K and make them people-centric? It is important that reforming governance mechanics and improving public relationship dealings of these officials, by making them more human-centric in J&K, should be looked at through the prism of strategic necessity and national security imperative.

Conclusion

The governance challenges in Jammu and Kashmir require immediate and strategic attention. To solve these problems and challenges, the Indian government must take a national security perspective, recognizing that effective governance is integral to furthering national security and unity in the region. New Delhi needs to have a multipronged strategy in J&K with human-centric governance as its important pillar. The government can bridge the trust deficit and develop a governance system that truly serves the people by prioritizing human-centered reforms, implementing bureaucracy training programs, and encouraging accountability.

For a region as sensitive as J&K, governance reform is more than just an administrative requirement. Only by ensuring that governance structures are responsive, empathetic, and efficient can the government empower and win the hearts and minds of the people of J&K.

Dr. Imran Khurshid is a visiting research fellow at the International Centre for Peace Studies, New Delhi. He specializes in India-US relations, the Indo-Pacific studies, and South Asian security issues.