What is the state of governance in Jharkhand? The Citizens’ Notebook begins by informing the reader that the state got a zero in a survey conducted by the Centre for Civil Society (CCS) on the degree of compliance to RTI (Right to Information) Act.

It then goes on to give a comparative study of how different states have fared in complying with it, which shows that while Uttaranchal, which was created at the same time as Jharkhand and Chattisgarh, has nearly topped the list at second position with a score of 76 per cent, Chattisgarh and Jharkhand, with scores of 11 per cent and zero, have failed its citizens.

What the government should be doing, i.e, taking information to the people, Prabhat Khabar has endeavoured to do through the two handbooks, State of Governance — Jharkhand Citizen Handbook and Jharkhand Development Report, 2007, both of which try to “take the issues of development and governance into the public domain for intense discussions.”

This, Harivansh, editor of Prabhat Khabar, points out, has always been their objective. “It’s the duty of responsible journalism to take the main issues of BIMARU states to the public,” he explains in Why We Did This Study (Jharkhand Development Report). Getting experts from different fields to write on topical issues, has always been one of their initiatives, it says.

The development report, prepared by the research institute Indicus Analytics, seeks to study where Jharkhand stands in this changing world, particularly in relation to its neighbouring states like Bihar, Bengal, Orissa, and states like Chattisgarh and Uttaranchal, which were founded at around the same time. It also seeks to find its standing in relation to more developed states and its all India standing in education, development, health, and crime. While not ignoring a comparative study of all this among the different districts within the state. Concentrating not just on figures, but also on essays on different issues by experts, and analysis of and recommendations for different departments.

While the development report was put together by Indicus Analytics, the State of Governance Jharkhand Citizen Handbook was put together with the help of CCS, which had earlier prepared the Delhi Citizen Handbook, 2003. The facts were gathered by the newspaper and sent to CCS, with the objective of preparing a report that could be of help to all, the common citizen to government officials. A mirror to them of the state of affairs. Repeating not only the common facts that Jharkhand remains the only state in the country not to have held any elections at the panchayat or municipal levels, but going beyond the facts.

That’s a pattern it follows in all the chapters, which cover the RTI Act, the Panchayat Act, the loop holes in the food security network, a chapter on education, which questions if the state is on the right track, health, land and forests, water management, labour and employment, and infrastructure.

All the issues come backed with their historical background, their present status in relation to the different states, and finally recommendations and charts, which makes it easier for lay readers to grasp things. At a glance one can take in facts like the per capita availability of food grains in Jharkhand is 230 gm/day against a requirement of 480 gm/day. While all know that the PDS is non-functional in the state, it is interesting to know just how bad it is. According to a analysis by National Sample Survey, only 20 per cent of the grain released through the PDS actually reaches its target, rest is sold through the black market.

What’s suggested is the government start a system of vouchers. This will force the shopowner to sell the stuff only to those who have vouchers, as he will have to present the voucher stamps to claim his cash.

The same is also suggested for education, the chapter on which gives an interesting table on the decadal performance of the state.

Also giving at a glance charts stating the sanctioned posts for teachers, and posts still lying vacant. Charts, when given, are always with their sources mentioned, adding to their credibility.

For the lay reader, in many ways the Jharkhand Development Report is more reader-friendly. It starts with a series of essays by men like Prabhat Kumar, first governor of Jharkhand, Gurcharan Das, thinker and writer, Dr Amit Mitra, General Secretary, FICCI, Sumita Kale, chief economist, Indicus, among others, before going on to facts. The study is divided into four sections — first exploring the indicators for quality governance, second looks into the knowledge and communication base, the third studies the state’s socio-economic profile, with the last concentrating on a district wise comparison of issues. All the sections come with charts, and going through them becomes quite a delightful exercise. There are charts on the increase in figures of rape between 2001 to 2005, the percentage figures of incidences of crimes against women and children, road and railway lengths, among others. For those who don’t know, no other state showed the same increase in the strength of its police force as Jharkhand in 2005! Ranchi saw the maximum reduction in the share of murders in total crime in 2004 as compared to 2001. Sahibganj and Jamtara are most unsafe districts for women, though improving, while Latehar and Chhatra are safest. Those who think the books are only about bleak tales on non-development, will be happy to read that the penetration of transport vehicles in the state is more than four times in Bihar and the ratio of transport vehicles per million population is better than other newly formed states.

Also encouraging is that the state was able to meet almost 90 per cent of the demand for electricity during 2004-05. Better than some developed states. It also had a higher growth rate in per capita income than its mother state Bihar in 2001-06. But when it comes to phones, mobiles and internet, it fares miserably. Why it is so, is a matter of debate, after all, as charts show, it’s not as if money is not allotted. To initiate such debates, is precisely what’s the objective of these handbooks.

Books: (i)Jharkhand Development Report, 2007 and (ii) State of Governance-Jharkhand Citizen Handbook. Publisher: Neutral Publishing House Limited, Ranchi. Price: Rs 150