Skip to main content

Policy Advisory – Strengthening Civic Sense in India

· 6 min read
PSVNL SAI KUMAR
PSVNL SAI KUMAR
SDE 3 @ Oracle

Executive Summary​

Despite India’s rapid economic and infrastructural advancements under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, the country continues to suffer from a chronic deficit in civic sense — manifesting as lawless traffic, public littering, misuse of infrastructure, and disrespect for communal spaces. These issues undermine the very goals of Viksit Bharat @2047, Smart Cities Mission, and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

This document presents a detailed policy advisory for the Hon’ble Prime Minister, offering a multi-pronged strategy to institutionalize civic discipline, modernize enforcement, and rewire public behavior at scale.

The Problem: India's Civic Sense Crisis​

Symptoms:​

  • Rampant littering and spitting in public places.
  • Open defecation continues despite toilet availability.
  • Chronic traffic indiscipline and road fatalities.
  • Encroachments, misuse of sidewalks, vandalism of public property.
  • Lack of queuing culture, public noise violations, and blatant disregard for rules.

Root Causes:​

  • Absence of civic education in early schooling.
  • Weak enforcement and corruption in departments like traffic policing.
  • Public perception that civic duties are someone else’s responsibility.
  • Lack of consequences for civic violations.

Impact on National Development​

  • Global Image: Poor civic behavior tarnishes India’s brand globally — especially for tourism, investment, and diplomacy.
  • Public Health: Littering, spitting, and urination lead to diseases and poor sanitation outcomes.
  • Traffic Safety: Over 1.5 lakh deaths annually from road accidents — a major GDP drag and family destabilizer.
  • Urban Livability: India’s cities rank low on global liveability indices despite huge infrastructure investments.

Global Benchmarks: Lessons for India​

🇸🇬 Singapore: Discipline Through Law & Culture​

  • Heavy fines for littering, spitting, jaywalking.
  • Community cleaning penalties and public shaming of repeat offenders.
  • Civic education embedded in school curricula.
  • Zero corruption tolerance in enforcement roles.

🇯🇵 Japan: Civic Sense as a Way of Life​

  • No police needed to maintain civic discipline.
  • Cultural emphasis on shared responsibility from early childhood.
  • Citizens clean public spaces voluntarily (schools, festivals).

🇸🇪 Sweden: Vision Zero for Traffic​

  • Safe infrastructure + civic education + consistent enforcement.
  • One of the lowest road deaths globally.
  • Transparent police operations with trust-based governance.

Gaps in Current Government Efforts​

InitiativeAchievementsGaps Remaining
Swachh Bharat AbhiyanToilet construction, awarenessBehavioral change, maintenance, solid waste
Smart Cities MissionInfrastructure upgradesNo behavior-linked KPIs, poor citizen role
Motor Vehicle Act 2019Higher fines, stricter rulesPatchy enforcement, lack of officer training
NEP 2020Opportunity for curriculum reformCivic education not yet institutionalized

Policy Recommendations for Hon’ble PM Modi​

1. Civic Sense Task Force (CSTF)​

Create a national task force under the PMO with inter-ministerial coordination (MoHUA, MoE, MoRTH, MIB, MHA) focused solely on:

  • Driving behavioral change.
  • Reforming enforcement.
  • Public messaging coordination.
  • Urban innovation for civic engagement.

2. Civic Sense Curriculum (CSC) from Class 1 to 12​

Under NEP 2020:

  • Introduce mandatory modules on hygiene, public responsibility, traffic rules, community service.
  • Include real-world practice: students participate in street clean-ups, traffic volunteering, etc.
  • Use gamification and digital apps to measure civic conduct.

3. Professionalization of Traffic Police​

  • Treat traffic management as a dedicated professional domain.
  • Disallow transfer of corrupt officials into traffic posts.
  • Introduce quarterly certification exams, performance-linked promotions.
  • Equip with AI-enabled enforcement, CCTVs, bodycams, and digital challans.

4. Behavior-Linked Urban Governance​

  • Incentivize RWAs and wards for cleanliness, traffic discipline, and civic innovation.
  • Add "Civic Score" to the Ease of Living Index used for Smart Cities ranking.
  • Link property tax rebates to community-level performance in civic metrics.

5. India Civic Corps (ICC) – A Volunteer Force​

  • Inspired by NCC/NSS.
  • Mobilize youth and retirees to monitor and guide civic behavior.
  • Members can act as para-civic marshals in public areas with minor enforcement powers.

6. Public Consequence Framework​

  • Publicly publish names of repeat civic offenders (after due process).
  • Mandatory social service hours for repeat offenses (e.g., cleaning public toilets or roads).
  • Ban defaulters from certain public benefits (like subsidized housing or jobs) if chronic.

7. Mass Media Campaign: “Swachh Vyaavhaar”​

  • Launch a nationwide campaign under the Azadi Ka Amrit Kaal vision.
  • Use cinema, cricket, OTT, and influencers.
  • Narratives should link civic sense to nationalism and pride in New India.

Digital Solutions​

InitiativeDescription
Civic Score AppA gamified app where citizens earn points for civic behavior, redeemable
Public Offense Reporting AppEasy way to report spitting, urination, littering with geotagged photos
Civic Dashboard for ULBsMonthly dashboard for municipal commissioners to track civic KPIs
Digital Traffic CommandReal-time AI-based detection of violations, e-challan automation

Monitoring and Evaluation​

  • PMO-led Dashboard monitoring performance of all metros and Tier-2 cities.
  • Publish a National Civic Compliance Index annually.
  • Performance-linked grants for ULBs based on behavior-linked improvements.
  • Third-party audits by IITs, IIMs, and local NGOs.

Strategic Narrative for the Hon’ble Prime Minister​

“We built toilets, now let us build habits. We constructed roads, now let us instill discipline. This is not just a cleanliness mission — this is the making of a civilizational ethos.”

Position civic discipline as a key pillar of Viksit Bharat @2047 and Amrit Kaal goals. Make it part of the narrative of India as a world leader not just in technology, but in humanity and order.

Conclusion​

India's ambition to become a global power will be hollow without civic discipline. With visionary leadership, India can transform its public culture — much like how it transformed digital payments, sanitation infrastructure, and electric mobility.

Now is the time to lead the world not just in GDP, but in GDC — Gross Domestic Civility.

Tags: Civic Sense, Cabinet Advisory, Modi Government, Urban Policy, Traffic Reform, NEP 2020, Smart Cities, PMO Strategy, Civic Education