Making the government work

The Government of India has a triple role:

• Protector: law and order through the police, and defence of the borders;
• Provider: public welfare and infrastructure;
• Regulator: of the economy and of social justice.

It keeps order through the police, gives free education to children by building schools and hiring teachers, builds roads, bridges, railways and airports, and works to keep food safe.

Then why does our country still have so many problems? Why do we still hear of bribery and corruption, people in hardship, poor schools and hospitals, bad roads, and people who can't get the schemes meant for them?

How can citizens help the government do what it is meant to do? Here are things you can do:

1. Complain through grievance redressal. Many departments have offices where you can file a complaint (a grievance). There are vigilance commissions to investigate corruption, and online systems like the Public Grievances Portal, where you can complain from home. The department must reply within a fixed time.

2. Ask for information. The Right to Information Act (RTI) lets any citizen ask the government for information: for example, how much was spent on roads in your area, or who received a scheme's benefits. Officials must answer. This brings transparency (citizens can see what the government does and spends) and accountability (people in power must answer for their actions).

See how it worked at Bagepalli, near Bengaluru. New roads and streetlights were built so badly that traffic was difficult and there were many accidents. One citizen filed an RTI asking how much money had been given for the work. With that information, a group of citizens questioned the officials, and the roadwork was finished properly. One citizen, one application, and the road got built right.

3. Use the media. Write in newspapers or online about a problem. Many officials are on social media: Indian Railways, for example, answers complaints at @RailwaySeva on X. A passenger with a problem on a train can tag it and get help.

4. Work through civil society. India has thousands of citizen groups (NGOs) working on education, health, environment, jobs and women's empowerment. 5. Write to your elected representatives. 6. Vote. When you are old enough, vote in local, state and national elections. This is the strongest tool of all: a representative who ignores the people can be voted out next time.

Citizens can even change a government's mind. In 1970, the Kerala government planned a huge hydroelectric dam in the Silent Valley, which would have drowned untouched evergreen forest full of wildlife. NGOs, scientists, environmentalists, writers, teachers and villagers campaigned against it. In 1983 the Central Government cancelled the project, and two years later the Silent Valley became a National Park.