| Abstract: | The biggest challenge before Government is to ensure ‘inclusive’ growth so that the gains from increased national income are shared by all sections of society. In particular, it is imperative that a high quality of basic services be provided to all citizens, since these are not only ends in themselves, but also play a critical role in enhancing individual capabilities to participate fully in the growth of the economy. Since public service delivery impacts lives of millions of people, of it is one of the most important and crucial components of good governance. The government makes certain that public services are always available without interruption and that everyone can afford them. It implies that citizens must receive services. India is a developing nation, and inclusive and sustainable socioeconomic development can only be attained by improving the delivery of public services. Government department through which most of the public services are delivered are organized according to bureaucratic model. They are hierarchical in structure with superior subordinate relationships, reliance on control through inspection; rigid rules and procedures; preference for precedence, top-down planning and communication and bottom-up reporting; merit cum seniority-based promotions and security of services. Nevertheless, the public is extremely unhappy with the way public services are currently provided at all governmental levels. This article highlights the criticality of improving public service delivery and the challenges before bureaucracy to achieve it. The article finally highlights the need to have effective public management of our resources and to create open, transparent and accountable systems of public service delivery. (“Indian Public Service Delivery: Opportunities and Challenges,” 2013) |
