Bad Civic Sense of Indian People: Is Government Responsible?

There are many reasons why most Indian people don’t have basic civic sense. But who is the first line of responsibility? The Indian Government. So yes, they are responsible.

Because only the government has the power to build and implement systems.

Who can set national standards? Government. Who can reshape education? Government. Who can manage public behavior? Government. Who can fund infrastructure at scale? Government.

But are they doing it as it should be? No.

In India, the government often behaves more like a manager of chaos than a creator of order.

I would like to discuss the following reasons that are behind people’s bad civic sense in India:

1. Governance in India is reactive, not preventive

The way Singapore governs is amazing. They focus on staying disciplined and always thinking ahead to handle any problems that might come up.

If you spit? You are fined. If you vandalize? You are arrested. If you misbehave? You are re-educated.

India, on the other hand, waits for the problem to explode and then reacts with:

• A campaign
• A committee
• A speech
• A symbolic photo op

Whenever something goes wrong, public outrage starts. Then, politicians scramble and start drafting a new policy. These policies are not full system recovery solutions. Instead, these act like a bandage.

Whether it’s a pothole that swallowed a biker… Or a bridge that collapsed during rain… Or a hospital that ran out of oxygen mid-pandemic…

The pattern is always the same. Nobody checks. Nobody cares. Until someone dies. Then the problems become headlines, hashtags, and hurried inquiries.

This is not governance. This is crisis management dressed up as leadership in India.

Preventive governance requires long-term thinking. When they question themselves: How can we stop this from happening again in ten years?

2. Why politicians don’t care about civic sense

In India, politicians aren’t rewarded for building better citizens. They are rewarded for winning votes. And there is a big difference between the two.

In an ideal country, a politician would campaign on promises such as:

• We will fix public sanitation.
• We will build civic awareness in schools.
• We will train municipal workers better.
• We will fine people for spitting and littering. And we actually mean it.
• We will protect public spaces like we protect monuments.
• We will make sure that the laws are equal for every citizen, poor or rich.

But in reality, that doesn’t get crowds cheering. You know what does?

• We will give you free electricity.
• We will give you ₹2000 in your bank account (before the elections).
• We will protect your religion.
• We will protect your language.
• We will build the tallest statue.
• We will rename your city to honor your identity.
• We will give you the best jumlas (hollow political statements) before elections and then forget them after elections.

As many developed countries have proved, civic transformation takes generational effort. But the problem with Indian politicians is that they think in five-year cycles.

They don’t know if they will win the next election or not. So they need quick wins, not deep change. They need big inaugurations, viral moments, news headlines, and instant freebies.

For example, cleaning a river may take 10 years, but building a statue takes only 2 years. A statue is a better investment to satisfy people’s emotional identity. And it gets more media coverage, too.

Similarly, changing how people behave in public requires massive effort. It will need many changes in education, infrastructure, law enforcement, and community engagement. But distributing free gas cylinders or setting up a food subsidy program? That’s faster, cheaper, and earns instant gratitude.

3. There is no fear of consequence

“No fear” is one of the deepest roots of India’s civic crisis.

If you throw garbage on the street, no one stops you. If you spit on the road, no one fines you. If you honk in silent zones, no one catches you.

It doesn’t mean you term it “freedom.” That’s a system failure.

In countries where people have a strong civic sense, consequences are not just legal; they are social and moral duties, too.

But in India, bad behavior often goes unchecked.

One of the biggest reasons for the collapse of civic behavior in India is “corruption.”

India has laws for everything. But the enforcement is toothless.

Get caught in a crime or for a traffic violation? You can bribe your way out. If you know anyone in the system? You can easily get away. Are you rich or is your uncle an MLA? The rules don’t apply to you.

This double standard gives a dangerous signal to society:

Only the powerless suffer consequences.

That’s how fear dies in India, and lawlessness breeds.

India is not Dubai or Singapore. People there absolutely respect laws and even fear them to some extent. People in these countries know that if they break any rules, they will get punished for sure.

So people behave well when systems behave seriously. Singapore and Dubai don’t have better people; they have better systems.

4. Education was designed for jobs, not citizenship

Our education system was originally built by the British. Lord Macaulay was one of the architects of modern Indian education.

He openly stated the goal of British intentions. They wanted to create a class of obedient, English-educated Indians who could act as clerks. Their focus was not on creating leaders, creators, thinkers, and citizens.

Even after independence, we never truly restructured it.

So schools still focus on:

• Rote learning
• Exam performance
• Engineering and medicine

But they don’t teach:

• Public responsibility
• Environmental ethics
• Active citizenship

School taught us to compete with each other. That’s why we are ready to jump the queue. That’s why we love to overtake on the road. That’s why we throw trash and think, “It’s not my problem.”

As schools train the ego, we don’t have the humility that is required for citizenship.

To counter bad civic sense in India, we need real-world civic education from Class 1 onward. And only Government of India can make sure that it is implemented and enforced properly.

5. India tries to copy Western results without adopting Western discipline

In India, we want the outcome. But when it comes to the implementation of processes, we don’t want to talk about it.

We visit Switzerland and praise their clean roads. We travel to Germany and are fascinated by their smooth traffic. We love Japan for maintaining safe subways. We dream the same for India and say, “Why can’t we be like them?”

But we forget that those results weren’t built on hope. They were built on discipline, sacrifice, and ruthless respect for rules.

In Western cities, you are fined and penalized. But in India, first we do a “Swachh Bharat” photo op. And then, we toss wrappers out of the car windows five minutes later.

We organize a “beach clean-up drive,” only to see the place trashed the next day.

We build public toilets, but don’t train people on how to use them respectfully.

We love copying the infrastructure. But what about the mindset that is required to sustain it? We keep skipping it.

India can look like the West. But first, it must think like the West and observe how they act and behave. Without discipline, civic sense, and public integrity, we can’t fulfill this dream.

So yes, the government is responsible, but…

We should absolutely hold the government accountable for:

• Rebuilding public systems
• Reforming education
• Strict enforcement of civic laws
• Creating consequences for bad behavior
• Investing in dignity for sanitation workers
• And launching mass behavior change movements that go beyond billboards

But,

The government often reflects the consciousness of its people. India is a country that tolerates corruption, and people end up electing corrupt leaders.

A society that doesn’t value public cleanliness doesn’t demand it from the top. Systemic change is a two-way street. The government creates the framework, and people demand the standard.

India will not change when we just wait for the government to act. But when we start to expect better. When we vote better. When we behave better. And when we demand better, together.