The persisting evil of corruption in the administration and public life, which is fast eating into the vitals of our society, has received serious attention at the hands of the second Administrative
February 26, 2007 (Press Release) --
The persisting evil of corruption in the administration and public life, which is fast eating into the vitals of our society, has received serious attention at the hands of the second Administrative Reforms Commission headed by Veerappa Moily. Its report, while admitting the failure of the half-hearted measures adopted to deal with it, suggests a comprehensive approach involving public servants, politicians and members of the judiciary. Even though a few of its recommendations appear controversial and many not be accepted but, by and large, it merits serious consideration and speedy implementation, taking care that the bureaucrats who will process it, do not dilute the measures to be adopted to render the whole exercise useless.
Holding that corruption is the "single biggest contributor" to India's slow growth, the Commission argues that monopoly and discretion minus accountability leads to corruption. Besides being an ethical issue, it is seriously hurting social services which are critical for the poor. It has been noticed that only a fraction of the huge financial allocations for providing employment and other benefits to the rural poor reaches the beneficiaries and the major portion is siphoned off by officials and others deputed to disburse cash. The Commission also finds it necessary to deal with "collusive bribery" – transactions resulting in loss to the State, the public or public interest – and punishment in such cases should be double than that for other bribery cases.
The Commission, for reasons best known to it, has skirted the issue of the License-Permit Raj, which still persists despite Government claims of liberalizing the economy and minimizing the role of the State and bureaucracy. The outdated administrative procedures, which often drive entrepreneurs and honest investors mad and which institutionalize corruption, are very much in place. Unless these are drastically overhauled in order to make public access to the administration much more easy and encourage entrepreneurs to expand industrialisation by conforming to basic minimum formalities, the role of the obstructive and corrupt bureaucrat will remain supreme. It is these procedures which breed corruption and receive protection from government and its various organs.
To check corruption in political life, the Commission has made a controversial recommendation about a Constitution amendment stipulating that if one or more political parties in a coalition with a common programme leave it in midstream their members should resign and seek a fresh mandate. This is obviously intended to strengthen the institution of coalition which is going to stay with us for as long as one can see and to impart stability to a government and enable it to complete full term. But coalition is a consensual arrangement and parties often come together for a variety of reasons, not necessarily related to their common ideology and programme but, most often, the compulsion to prevent another combination
Holding that corruption is the "single biggest contributor" to India's slow growth, the Commission argues that monopoly and discretion minus accountability leads to corruption. Besides being an ethical issue, it is seriously hurting social services which are critical for the poor. It has been noticed that only a fraction of the huge financial allocations for providing employment and other benefits to the rural poor reaches the beneficiaries and the major portion is siphoned off by officials and others deputed to disburse cash. The Commission also finds it necessary to deal with "collusive bribery" – transactions resulting in loss to the State, the public or public interest – and punishment in such cases should be double than that for other bribery cases.
The Commission, for reasons best known to it, has skirted the issue of the License-Permit Raj, which still persists despite Government claims of liberalizing the economy and minimizing the role of the State and bureaucracy. The outdated administrative procedures, which often drive entrepreneurs and honest investors mad and which institutionalize corruption, are very much in place. Unless these are drastically overhauled in order to make public access to the administration much more easy and encourage entrepreneurs to expand industrialisation by conforming to basic minimum formalities, the role of the obstructive and corrupt bureaucrat will remain supreme. It is these procedures which breed corruption and receive protection from government and its various organs.
To check corruption in political life, the Commission has made a controversial recommendation about a Constitution amendment stipulating that if one or more political parties in a coalition with a common programme leave it in midstream their members should resign and seek a fresh mandate. This is obviously intended to strengthen the institution of coalition which is going to stay with us for as long as one can see and to impart stability to a government and enable it to complete full term. But coalition is a consensual arrangement and parties often come together for a variety of reasons, not necessarily related to their common ideology and programme but, most often, the compulsion to prevent another combination
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