Dr. B.R. Ambedkar had famously said, “A people and their religion must be judged by social standards based on social evils. No other standard would have any meaning if religion is held to be necessary good for the well-being of the people”.

What is a Social Evils or Issue

Social Evils, if defined broadly, include anything detrimental to a society or citizens such as alcohol, child abuse, prostitution, etc.

Social evils may be also referred as a social problem or a social illness or even a social conflict that indicates to an issue that influences and is opposed by a considerable number of persons within a society. It functions as a source of comprehended and perceived as a morality just in personal life or social order.

To a particular social issue, different societies have different perceptions. Anyway, social evils are issues that affect members, in one way or the other, of a particular society. In terms of moral values, almost all the time, these issues or social evils are most of the time considered controversial or problematic.

India has, in its basket, many social evil despite being an independent nation for almost 68 years now. According to some analysts, it may not be wrong to call India a world capital of social evils.

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A List of Salient Social Evils

Child Labour and Child Exploitation

It is said, and said with a profound gesture, that children are the future of any nation. Every responsible member of our society is supposed to bring up the children with tender care and love by providing them all opportunities to grow, develop and prosper.

The growth of children who are engaged in earning livelihood for themselves and their families, gets hampered. Even in their workplace, they are maltreated and exploited badly – physically, emotionally and even sexually.

Gender Inequality and Exploitation of Women

No one can deny that it is generally a male dominated world. It is a pity that in this 21^st century, Indians are still orthodox and do not give equal rights to women; of course, not officially. This is done to make sure that women exploited and dominated by men.

Female Infanticide

It is said that female infanticide creates imbalance in sex ratio that is mostly responsible for increase in crime rate in India. Apart from this, female infanticide is not only an inhuman and an effort to create imbalance in human race, but also a punishable serious offence in law because it tantamount to murder.

Domestic Violence

It can only be pitied that even after 68 years of independence, women in our country, abused mentally, physically, emotionally and sexually in many families. The so-called high class and upper middle class, who boast of being well qualified and educated, are also major contributors in domestic violence.

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Traditional Expensive Marriage Ceremonies

At most of the weddings, spending money lavishly has become a symbol of showing and establishing status and stature. Poor families, or the families who do not have enough money to ‘save social prestige’, take even loans to maintain expensive marriage ceremonies. Many of them fail to pay back the loans which lead to many complicated happenings.

Dowry Tradition

Dowry, an ill tradition, at wedding is most of the time responsible for bride burning and other domestic violence crimes, because family from the boy side take it as their birth right, or perhaps human rights, to demand dowry. In this developed and free country one must ask the Question why should the parents of a girl give dowry at the time of marriage to the family of the bridegroom. Does a girl become a liability after marriage.

Blind Faith based on Outdated Rituals

In many parts of the country, particularly in tribal areas and remote villages, are followed foolish outdated rituals and traditions which often put life of people including small children/ infants at high risk.

Poverty

It is a big curse as it is directly linked to hunger. Poor people are those people who will do every possible thing, right or wrong, to manage their two square meals. Only one thing is suffice to say on this issue is that our country, our beloved Bharat Mata, is known as the hunger capital of the world.

The Way Ahead

We, all the responsible and sane members of the society, must take a pledge that we would not hesitate to do whatever we can do to annihilate the above mentioned social evils wherever these exist. It is only then in the long run, evils from society can be eradicated. We, instead of waiting for others to take action, must take first step to begin the long journey.

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We all aspire that our Government should be good and effective and, perhaps, this is the desire that has led to the formation of the concept of the good governance. It is an established proposition that the State came into existence with the purpose of securing condition for safe and happy life; and, therefore, its continuity must be justified in terms of promoting and preserving the quality of life. Kautilya, though he does not belong to the group who defined ‘State’ in the modern sense, considered ‘Good Governance’ as the bounden duty of the government to act in manner that realizes the material, mental, and cultural well being of the people.

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Meaning of Good Governance

The concept of Good Governance can be comprehended only when we understand the idea the word ‘Governance’ suggests. Governance has been defined as ‘the use of power and authority by those in Government to provide goods and services to the aspirations and requirements of the common man. Governance, it can be presumed, is concerned with power, strategies, policies, plans and projects that intend to improve the quality of life.

Governance becomes good when the actions and decision of the Government are based on the consent of the people, legitimacy and accountability. Even in ancient and medieval India, a king, although not a democratically elected authority, was supposed to be conscientious and responsive to the needs of the subjects. However, in modern times the phrase good governance implies enlightened citizenship as well as accountable and constitutional government.

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Features of Good Governance

It has been accepted almost unanimously that governance has to be based on the principle of accountability of these who are responsible for it. Accountability means that the bureaucracy should be answerable for what they do or do not do. In a parliamentary system, like ours, it is administered through questions debates, discussions budgetary approvals, committees and such other methods method by parliament.

Second, accountability is also ensure through judicial review of the Governmental decision or lows. The citizens can also demand judicial intervention through Public Interest Litigation (PIL) for proper and prompt action on certain issues affecting the common life. The idea behind such practices is to change the bureaucratic culture to incorporate people friendly attitudes in place of patriarchal, indifferent, casual, and callous behavior of citizens.

An accountable system of Governance that is the main ingredient of good governance, implies the following functional and behavioral characteristics of the civil servants:

• Judicious use of authority,
• Use of reason and experience as the basis of decision,
• Time bound implementation of Policies and Plans,
• Achievement oriented behavior,
• Pursuit of happiness of the people,
• Shirking of work to be identified and punished
• Strength of character, intelligence perseverance and extensity of civil servants,
• Capacity for doing a work which should be supplemented by the skill-in-action and question for perfection, and
• Uprightness, friendliness and firmness of devotion in dealing with others.

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Obstacles to Good Governance

Although most of the countries, including India, have registered their seriousness, through their steps, about good governance, they have not been finding it so easy to cater a just, equal and free social order to all their citizens. The major threats to good governance are: Corruption, Population and Culture of Violence.

Corruption

Generally, Corruption is defined as ‘an illegal use of authority for personal gains. As a universal disease it is causing serious harm to this people and government across the World. However, in India corruption has taken the shape and intensity of a cancer. The exposure of the scams and the demand for action against corruption is now increasing.

Some most essential steps to be taken to confront the threat of corruption to good governance are:

• Ensuring a cost-effective administration of justice.
• Mobilizing the society to assist the system of rate of law.
• Eliminating the nexus between politicians, bureaucrats and criminals.
• Making ‘Right to Information’ more effective.
• For feature of the properties of the corrupt immediately after the charges are framed. Such a property can be released only after the person is proved innocent, that is acquittal in the court.
• Setting up Public Interest Litigation courts at the national, state and local levels.
• Strengthening law enforcement agencies in terms of autonomy, skills attitudinal change and awareness of the social problems.
• Enhancing bureaucratic functioning by simplifying rules, regulations and procedures of work.
• Abolishing the system of patronage and nepotism from government organizations.

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Population Growth

With the phenomenal growth in population, the aspiration of achieving the goal of god governance is becoming almost a herculean task for any government in India. The data displaying that from a population of 35 crores at the time of India’s Independence to more than 100 crore now is a cause of serious concern.

Due to this ‘population explosion’, as one of the important factors, the eliminate poverty, unemployment and illiteracy and to secure equitable access to even primary education and health, food, water and a house to all citizens. The rapidly growing population, de facto, is a means to a breakdown of good governance population can be stabilized only through spread of awareness, education, people’s involvement, health education and development etc.

Culture of Violence

According to the principles of good governance the first step to attain development is the prevalence of peace and order. Strikes, riots, terror attacks, etc represent the harmful culture of violence. No government can focus on economic, social and political development it is not free from the anxieties of threat to public safety and security in terms of life and property.

Moreover, terrorism, the greatest threat to the rule of law because terror replaces rule of law, is a hindrance to progress, that is the soul of good governance.

On tacking terrorism, the need of the hour is to have a clear vision, courage and comprehension to deal with this menace, a threat to the humanity itself, through dialogue with the violators of law, assuring them the redressal of their genuine grievances, involvement of the neighbours and far way international governments in the first against terrorism. It is the only way to achieve the quality of life envisaged in the concept of god governance.

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