Despite close proximity to the national capital (New Delhi), Mewat remains low on majority of the development indicators. Mewat, as a district, came into existence in 2006, prior to which it was under the administration of Gurgaon. A strong disconnect between people and the government was clearly evident from initial surveys conducted to assess the status of public services in selected villages. Most of the programs meant to provide assistance to the poor were not being implemented properly. Corruption, indifference, lack of accountability and transparency on behalf of the Government officials were stated as primary reasons for the poor state of services. IRRAD’s ‘Good Governance Now’ program expresses the urgent need: demand for good rural governance. The program was initiated in October 2008 in six villages with the central idea of building a culture of Good Governance through people’s participation. Towards this end, the capacities of the people are enhanced by empowering them with information on their legal and constitutional rights, entitlements and making them aware of accountability mechanisms like the Right to Information Act. The methodology of learning by doing, with the aim to garner meaningful participation from rural communities, is utilized.
(Adopted from author)GDNet originated | 
