In every democracy, the relationship between the state and the citizen is shaped by a delicate balance of power, information, and trust. The state, as the institutional embodiment of collective will, wields authority, resources, and data. The citizen, as the supposed sovereign in a democracy, often stands at the receiving end ~ informed less, heard less, and empowered less. This asymmetry of power and information remains one of the most enduring challenges of governance in most countries, including India.

Whether in accessing welfare schemes, seeking justice, or engaging with regulatory institutions, citizens frequently encounter a system that appears opaque, procedural, and distant. The language of governance is still too often that of control rather than collaboration. While reforms such as the Right to Information Act and the growth of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) have begun to erode this imbalance, the deeper transformation lies not merely in systems, but in statecraft ~ in how the government perceives its citizens, and how citizens, in turn, experience the state. The Indian administrative system, designed in the colonial era, was built around command, compliance, and hierarchy. Its purpose was not to empower the people but to govern them. Despite decades of democratic evolution, traces of that architecture persist ~ in the bureaucratic culture, in the opacity of decision-making, and in the structural distance between policymakers and the public. Today, however, India stands at a pivotal moment.

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The emergence of a participatory ethos in governance ~ captured in the principle of Jan Bhagidari or people’s participation ~ represents a fundamental reimagining of that legacy. It signals a shift from “governing for the people” to “governing with the people.” Jan Bhagidari, when meaningfully embedded, transforms the citizen from a passive recipient into an active partner ~ one who co-creates public outcomes rather than merely consumes state-delivered services. This participatory orientation finds deeper expression in the broader national vision of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas” articulated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. These four dimensions ~ partnership, development, trust, and collective effort ~........

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