Transparency and accountability in administration are prerequisites for a participatory democracy. Transparency means that the criteria, processes and systems of decision-making are openly known to all in a public manner. It promotes openness in government functioning and strengthens belief in the government on the part of citizenry. It further enhances accountability that holds public officials answerable for their decisions and actions and calls for their scrutiny. The declaration of the Right to Information Act in 2005 set the stage for transparency and accountability in the functioning of the government and its various agencies. Under this Act, access to information from a public agency has become a statutory right of every citizen. Since then, multiple initiatives have been taken to enhance transparency and accountability in India which includes:

• Citizens Charter: It seeks to improve the standard, quality and time frame of service delivery, grievance redressal mechanism, transparency and accountability in India. Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, in the Ministry of Personnel. Public Grievances and Pensions coordinates the efforts to formulate and operationalise Citizens’ Charters.
• The Lokpal and Lokayukta Act, 2013: It provided for the establishment of Lokpal for the Union and Lokayukta for States. These institutions are statutory bodies which perform the function of an “ombudsman” and inquire into allegations of corruption against certain public functionaries and for related matters.
• E-Governance initiatives: Some e-initiatives taken to provide accountable administration include a framework for efficient handling of public grievances through the Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS). For instance: BHOOMI, a land records management system Implemented by the Government of Karnataka, is a fine example of how e- Governance systems can bring reforms (transparency and accountability) in the area of land administration.
• Legal reforms: The Central Government has scrapped nearly 1,500 obsolete rules and laws with an aim to bring about transparency and improve efficiency. This includes self-attestation of certificates and abolition of interviews for job selection at junior level.
• Right to Service legislations: Enacted by numerous states in India, right to service is considered one of the most effective ways of ensuring time-bound delivery of public services, reducing corruption in India and enhancing transparency in public sector operations.

In addition to the above initiatives, there is an imperative need to change in the mindset of the public officials, strengthen and widen the public information infrastructure through developing information networks and digitalization.