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YBS for Ethical Governance

“Every citizen of India must remember that he is an Indian and he has every right in this country but with certain duties”
– Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

ETHICAL GOVERNANCE

About the Samman

The Yashraj Bharati Samman for Ethical Governance has been instituted to recognise and celebrate the work of individuals/organisations/institutions/social enterprises that promote ethical practices in governance structures in India. Awardee profiles in this category can be varied and the eligible categories have been listed below:

Elected Representative

Elected representatives at various levels of government (national, provincial or local self-governing bodies)

Promote Ethics in Governance

Former and current government officials belonging to varied departments, who have done exemplary work to promote ethics in governance

Indian Political Structure

Individuals (civilians) like social activists, scientists, innovators, researchers or policy advocates who have shown exemplary capacity to work for the promotion of ethical governance in Indian political structure

Decision Making Process

Organisations and enterprises like NGOs, public policy think tanks or advocacy groups working to promote ethical practices in governance and decision-making process of the state

Model Approach

Institutions working to actively promote ethical governance through a model, approach or research

Developing technology

Developing technology to promote ethical governance and/or awareness amongst citizens

Increasing accessibility

Increasing accessibility to information (Right to Information)

Disseminating anti-corruption

Disseminating anti-corruption information and awareness

Technology

Replicability of approach/technology

Cost effectiveness

Cost effectiveness and resourcefulness of the approach/technology

Why Did We Choose To Felicitate Individuals /Organizations In This Category?

“It is the duty of all leading men, whatever their persuasion or party, to safeguard the dignity of India. That dignity can’t be saved if misgovernment and corruption flourish. Misgovernment and corruption always go together. I have it from very trustworthy sources that corruption is increasing in our country. Is everyone then going to think only of himself, and not at all of India?"
Mahatma Gandhi

The ethos of India doesn’t allow for the corruption of one’s soul. Acharya Kriplani had once remarked during a session of the Constituent Assembly of India: 

"I want this house to remember that what we have enunciated are not merely legal, constitutional and formal principles, but moral principles and moral principles have got to be lived in life. They have to be lived, whether it is in commercial life, political life or the life of an administrator. They have to be lived throughout. These things we have to remember if our Constitution is to succeed."

Despite all this, corruption has continued to be a major issue for this country . This is a bane that can be warded off only through a conscious effort on part of all the citizens of our great country. Fair practices, accountability and complete transparency in all sectors of public dealings can pave the path to a new corruption-free India. But without conscious efforts to weed out corruption, we cannot hope for a better future.

Governance and ethics go hand in hand. Without ethical practices in place, the administrative framework of a nation or any social structure, for that matter, collapses. In the absence of ethical practices in public service, corruption becomes rampant. This not only impedes administrative functions of the governing bodies, but also causes disruption of public life. This ultimately acts as a deadweight that drags a nation down.

Social & Administrative Framework

The Silver Lining

As Swami Vivekananda once stated that:

"The world will change if we change; if we are pure, the world will become pure."

Indeed, the forces of change in the field of promoting ethical governance practices have come from within our society and strived to change the grim reality of corrupt practices in India.

Corruption and its cure has been a major topic of discussion in India for a very long time. Whistle blowers have laid bare instances of embezzlement, bribery and other forms of corruption from time to time. They have acted as the conscience of this great nation and done great service to our people. But are these people celebrated as heroes of the nation? This is a question we need to ask ourselves.

The Yashraj Research Foundation seeks to honour citizens and/or organisations, who have made it their mission to promote transparency and ethical practices in public service. We believe that the warriors for truth amid us strive every day to add objectivity to all the decision making processes in place at various levels in our social and administrative framework. These great human beings need to be celebrated as icons of morality and ethics.