About Good Governance Day
Good Governance Day, or Sushasan Diwas, is observed in India every 25 December, the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. In 2026 it falls on Friday, 25 December 2026. The Government of India started it in 2014, and it closes a Good Governance Week in which district offices hold grievance camps and outreach on public services.
The day is named for an idea, but it is dated by a birthday. Atal Bihari Vajpayee was born in Gwalior on 25 December 1924. He was Prime Minister three times: briefly in 1996, from 1998 to 1999, and from 1999 to 2004. Earlier, as External Affairs Minister in 1977, he became the first person to address the UN General Assembly in Hindi. He received the Padma Vibhushan in 1992, was named Best Parliamentarian in 1994, and died in Delhi on 16 August 2018.
In December 2014 the Government of India announced the Bharat Ratna for Vajpayee and, posthumously, for Madan Mohan Malaviya, the founder of Banaras Hindu University, who was also born on 25 December, in 1861. The same month the government declared Vajpayee's birthday Good Governance Day. Official material describes its purpose as promoting accountability, transparency and citizen-centred public service.
How the government marks it
The main work happens in the week before. The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), under the Ministry of Personnel, runs Good Governance Week from 19 to 25 December. Its campaign, Prashasan Gaon Ki Ore ("administration towards the village"), asks district collectors to hold special camps at tehsil, block and panchayat level, where people can meet officials and have complaints settled on the spot. Districts report every day on grievances closed through these camps and through CPGRAMS, the central online grievance portal, and on applications for services cleared.
The numbers are large. In the preparatory phase of the 2025 campaign alone, from 11 to 17 December, state portals reported more than 2.11 lakh grievances redressed and over 21 lakh service applications disposed of. The 2024 week reported over 18 lakh grievances disposed of.
The day also anchors the Good Governance Index, which DARPG introduced on 25 December 2019. It ranks states and Union Territories in four groups across 10 sectors, from agriculture and health to judiciary and public safety, using 58 indicators. On the day itself, ministries and public offices post tributes to Vajpayee and messages on public service.
The day it shares with Christmas
25 December is Christmas, a gazetted holiday, so government offices and schools are closed. Most Good Governance Week activity therefore happens on the working days before it.
The overlap drew criticism when the day was first announced. In December 2014 a newspaper reported that schools would be asked to stay open on Christmas for Good Governance Day events. The then Human Resource Development Minister, Smriti Irani, said all CBSE schools would stay closed and that the essay competition on good governance was online and voluntary. Critics disputed how voluntary the circulars were. The practical lesson for anyone organising an event holds: don't schedule it on Christmas Day, and don't ask Christian staff to give up their holiday for it.
Marking it at work or in school
The day is best marked by doing something the name describes.
- In a government office, clear a pending file, a delayed pension case or an unanswered RTI reply during the week.
- In a district or block office, put the timelines for common services where people can see them, and check how many applications have crossed them.
- In a school or college, hold a discussion on what good governance means in practice. The United Nations description that PIB cites lists eight features: participation, consensus, accountability, transparency, responsiveness, effectiveness, equity and the rule of law.
- In a resident welfare association or panchayat, publish the year's accounts.
What to write
Do
- Write as a tribute on a birth anniversary. "Naman" or "tribute" fits better than "Happy".
- Tie your message to public service: patience with citizens, files cleared on time, honest records.
- Wish Christian colleagues and friends a Merry Christmas on the same day, and keep that wish separate.
Avoid
- Don't use party slogans, symbols or attacks on other parties in a message to colleagues or the public.
- Don't send Good Governance Day greetings into a family Christmas group.
On Good Governance Day, thank you for every file cleared on time and every citizen heard out patiently this year. That is the work the day is named for.
Respectful greetings on Sushasan Diwas. Thank you for showing us that good administration is mostly patience, records kept honestly and promises kept on time.
Remembering Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his birth anniversary. On Good Governance Day, a reminder that public service is measured by how ordinary people are treated.
Good Governance Day is a good day to ask what you expect from those who govern, and what you owe as a citizen. Read, question, vote.
Merry Christmas to you and your family. And on Good Governance Day, thank you for the patience you show every citizen at our counter.
Sushasan Diwas par Atal ji ko unki jayanti par shat shat naman. (On Good Governance Day, deep respects to Atal ji on his birth anniversary.)
सुशासन दिवस पर पूर्व प्रधानमंत्री अटल बिहारी वाजपेयी जी को उनकी जयंती पर शत-शत नमन। (On Good Governance Day, deep respects to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his birth anniversary.)
Other civic days in the same stretch include National Farmers' Day on 23 December and Veer Bal Diwas on 26 December. For the Christmas side of the date, see Christmas.
How to wish someone on Good Governance Day
A Good Governance Day message is a respectful tribute to Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his birth anniversary and a reminder of what good public service means. It suits officials, colleagues in government and civic groups. Keep it about service, accountability and the person being remembered, not party politics. The day is also Christmas, so wish Christian friends and colleagues a Merry Christmas first, and keep Sushasan Diwas messages for official or civic settings.
Write a few lines in your own words, pick a design and share it as one link on WhatsApp, Instagram or anywhere else. They open an animated card made just for them, with no app and no sign-up.
Language tip: English, Hindi.
When is Good Governance Day in each year?
Good Governance Day is on 25 Dec every year. Only the weekday changes.
- 2026
- 2027
- 2028
Frequently asked questions
When is Good Governance Day in 2026?
Good Governance Day 2026 falls on Friday, 25 December 2026.
Why is Good Governance Day celebrated on 25 December?
Good Governance Day is celebrated on 25 December because it is the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, born in Gwalior in 1924. The Government of India began observing it in 2014, the year Vajpayee was named for the Bharat Ratna.
Who started Good Governance Day?
Good Governance Day was started by the Government of India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December 2014. It is now organised each year by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances, which runs Good Governance Week from 19 to 25 December.
Is Good Governance Day a holiday?
Good Governance Day is not a separate holiday, but it falls on Christmas Day, 25 December, which is a gazetted holiday across India. Government offices therefore hold most Good Governance Week events on the working days before it.
What is Prashasan Gaon Ki Ore?
Prashasan Gaon Ki Ore, meaning "administration towards the village", is the campaign held during Good Governance Week. District collectors hold special camps at tehsil, block and panchayat level to settle public grievances on the spot and clear pending applications for government services.
What should I write in a Good Governance Day message?
A Good Governance Day message should be a respectful tribute to Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his birth anniversary, linked to the values of honest, accountable public service. Avoid party slogans, and use "naman" or "tribute" rather than "Happy Good Governance Day".
Last verified by the Kehdoo team on .