awake india

After the establishment of the Republic of India there is

a widely shared desire in the country to evaluate the

gains made as also to assess our future.

• Undoubtedly, the people of the country

and the managers of society can be

congratulated on many counts for India's

achievements since independence which

include (i) self-sufficiency (in fact surplus

generation) in food-grains, (ii) a strong

industrial base, (iii) a rising expectancy of

life, (iv) a higher percentage of literacy, (v)

a united and better integrated India and (vi)

a growing recognition by the world

• of our capabilities and potential. 2

On the negative side, one could count

the nagging problems of unemployment,

illiteracy and poverty accentuated by an

ever increasing population.

Also, a low per capita income,

inadequate infrastructure, feudalistic

tendencies and worst of all a pathetic

contempt of rule of law and ethics in

public life.

Finally, an administration which is

perceived as self seeking and citizen

unfriendly.

3

"WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to

constitute India into a SOVEREIGN

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC, and to secure to all its

citizens :

JUSTICE, social, economic and political; LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship;

EQUALITY of status and of opportunity; and to promote

among them all;

FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity of the

Nation:

IN OUR CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY this twenty-sixth day of

November, 1949, do HEREBY ADOPT, ENACT AND GIVE TO OURSELVES THIS CONSTITUTION."

4

Akbar "the Great," who governed

India for half a century (1556-1605)

and by a wise, gentle and just

reign brought about a season of

prosperity. This man, whose

memory even to-day is revered by

the Hindus, was named Abul Fath

Jelâleddin Muhammed. And truly

he justified the epithet, for great,

fabulously great, was Akbar as

man, general, statesman and ruler.

5

Akbar succeeded in establishing order, peace, and prosperity in his regained and newly subjugated provinces. This he brought about by the introduction of a model administration, an excellent police, a regulated post service, and especially a just division of taxes.

Up to Akbar's time corruption had been a matter of course in the entire official service and enormous sums in the treasury were lost by peculation on the part of tax collectors.

6

AKBAR, EMPEROR OF INDIA: The corruption in the

finance and customs department was abolished by

means of a complicated and punctilious system of

supervision (the bureaus of receipts and expenditures

were kept entirely separated from each other in the

treasury department).

Akbar himself carefully examined the accounts

handed in each month from every district, just as he

gave his personal attention with tireless industry and

painstaking care to every detail in the widely ramified

domain of the administration of government.

Moreover the Emperor had at the head of the

finance department a prudent, energetic, perfectly

honorable and incorruptible man, Todar Mal, who

without possessing the title of vizier or minister of state

had assumed all the functions of such an office.

For us in India, corruption has been an age-old

phenomenon. Chanakya is supposed to have said in

the Arthashastra that there are 40 different methods

by which public officials can indulge in corruption.

"The Mahamatras are like fish. Does one know,

when the fish is drinking water?" he is supposed to

have said. Indira Gandhi, when asked a question

about corruption, passed it off with a comment that it

was a global phenomenon.

Corruption is a matter of concern as it has negative

consequences. Corruption is anti-national. The hawala scam

of the 1990s exposed how the Kashmiri terrorists were

getting funds through the hawala route, and it is the same

route by which the corrupt bureaucrats, politicians and

businessmen also were getting and laundering their funds.

The 1999 UNDP report on Human Development pointed out

that if India’s corruption level can be brought down to that of

the Scandinavian countries, India’s GDP will grow by 1.5 per

cent and FDI increase by 12.5 per cent. Corruption is,

therefore, anti-economic development.

Corruption is anti-poor. In a country, where 26 per cent

of the population is below the poverty line, corruption

hits the poor very badly. Many of the development

schemes meant for the weaker sections do not benefit

them at all. Rajiv Gandhi remarked that only 15 paise

out of every rupee meant for the anti-poverty

programme reaches the beneficiaries. Get the benefits

of corruption-free, good governance in our own lifetime.

Singapore is a classic example. India needs to do more

on corruption

Corruption and India: While no society is free from

corruption, what is worrying is that such behaviour

appears normalised in India. The licence raj of the past

did not help. Capitalism, globalisation and liberalisation

have also increased the pressure to succeed, achieve

targets and acquire wealth quickly. The abuse of public

power, office and resources for personal gain is

common. Political parties take action against individuals

who got exposed but a proactive preventive measure is

absolutely needed.

Voter considers that all parties are equally corrupt.

Some are more so than others or some have been

found out while others have not been exposed.

Damage is caused by corruption or lack of probity in

public life to the well-being of the people. The middle

class value of probity in public life will have to be

sustained. It has been said that India is a feudal

democracy. It is quite possible therefore that we take a

tolerant view of the misbehaviour of leaders because

the king can do no wrong.

Support the broad coalition of civil society groups and organisations

operating at the various levels to better realise their anti-corruption

objectives. There is immense diversity, complexity and rivalry

among these groups and organisations, but if their activities are to

have a wider impact there needs to be some kind of co-ordinating

effort to better share best practice. More opportunities need to be

provided for networking, co-ordinating effort, and developing

policies.

To tackle corruption effectively there is need for a strong

consolidated state characterised by rule governed behaviour.

Excessive emphasise on de-regulation and transparency may

undermine the precisely those outcomes which are being sought.

The CPI is based on corruption in the government /

public sector; is calculated on corruption-related

data from 13 source-surveys published between

January 2009 and September 2010.

The criteria used to arrive at the score include

perception-related questions like the government's

capacity to punish and contain corruption;

transparency, accountability and corruption in the

public sector; extent of corruption; implementation

of anti-corruption initiatives. India is 87th in

Transparency International's latest C P I, in which

178 countries were surveyed.

The method is based on three practical

steps, namely

Morality,

Concentration _concentrated mind as fit

for work.

Insight _ understanding of the true nature

of all things.

THE CENTRAL Vigilance Commission has brought out "The

citizens guide to fighting corruption." A large number of

articles have appeared in almost all newspapers giving the

anatomy and biochemistry of corruption. However possibly

for the first time an attempt has been made to take the issue

to the right clientele, capable of bringing in a change. The

guide in the words of the Central Vigilance Commissioner,

Mr. N. Vittal, "contains the distilled essence of the strategies

evolved so far to fight corruption and the principles that can

be adopted... presented as a humble offering to every

patriotic citizen of India who wants to fight corruption."

The Indian Penal Code has provisions for forcing public

servants to do their duty under sections 166 and 167.

Heads of organisations can be persuaded to make

comprehensive use of these punitive measures.

Ethics should form part of the education system and

children in the schools should be mobilised to create a

social climate of making corruption unacceptable and

casting a social stigma on those who are corrupt. The use

of media for mobilising the people against corruption can

also be part of this effort.

Praja, an NGO of Mumbai, has devised a unique system for

citizens to ensure redress of citizens' grievances through an

online complaint registration system. The complaint is sent to

the authority concerned and to Praja. Both Praja hold

meetings regarding the backlog. All applications and forms

required for work with the municipal authorities are also

being made available online. To facilitate the operation of this

system a memorandum of understanding has been signed

between the Greater Mumbai Municipal Corporation and the

Praja Foundation. The NGOs in other cities could explore the

possibility of adopting this system.