news details |
|
|
| The art of making the impossible, possible | | | Joginder Singh
Nothing in our country moves without bribing officials. Corruption not only reduces the social acceptability of what we have achieved, but it hurts ecnomic growth. Adding more bureaucracy will mean more corruption
India has a very high
ratio of Government
employees. According to the 2001 census figures as on March 31, 2001, there were about 38.76 lakh Central Government employees in all. There were another 50 lakh employees in public sector undertakings, Central and State combined. Add State Government and autonomous bodies, and this figure can go up to two crore.
Passing on the blame either to the system or to some regulatory body or anti-corruption agency is the most predictable thing done by a number of bureaucrats. The more senior a bureaucrat, the more is the chances of his/her getting away, with literally a murder or an unabashed criticism of the Government.
A serving or should I say a ruling secretary, said that five institutions or 5Cs the Central Vigilance Commission, the Central Information Commission, the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India and the courts create an "inhibiting environment" that impacts "quick and effective decision making".
The secretary was supported by another secretary who added, "There is this issue with the Prevention of Corruption Act. Basically, any decision you take benefits someone and may impact someone and just because that is the case, you can be hounded. This has impacted decision-making over the past few years."
Most bureaucrats feel that they are wiser than god. It is easier to access god than a bureaucrat who has the trappings of power. But have they ever wondered what the common man thinks about them? I claim no special knowledge, what I hear is from the people living in towns and villages which I visit periodically to look after my ancestral land. Not only I, but what others think of this country is worth quoting.
According to a report by a consulting firm based in Hong Kong, Indian bureaucracy is the worst in Asia with a 9.21 rating out of 10. India fared worse than Vietnam (rated at 8.54), Indonesia (8.37), Philippines (7.57) and China (7.11), said a report released by Political and Economic Risk Consultancy, Ltd, Singapore remained the best with a rating of 2.25, followed by Hong Kong (3.53), Thailand (5.25) Taiwan (5.57), Japan (5.77), South Korea (5.87) and Malaysia (5.89).
The report also pointed out that India's inefficient bureaucracy was largely responsible for most of the biggest complaints that business executive have about the country.
The complaints included inadequate infrastructure and corruption, where officials were willing to accept under-the-table payments and companies were tempted to pay bribe to overcome bureaucratic inertia and gain Government favours, the report claimed.
The report also highlighted onerous and fickle tax, environmental and other regulations that can make business in India "so frustrating and expensive". It said dealing with the court system in India was an unattractive option for companies, and would be best to avoid it.
The bureaucrats were rarely held accountable for wrong decisions and it will be difficult to challenge them when there were disagreements, it said. It also says that Indian bureaucrats have 'terrific powers' and rated worst in Asia.
Many of our leaders are equally engaged in corruption cases. The following scams will speak for themselves. While in some cases names have been revealed, in other cases political bosses have been discreet.
The 2008 2G spectrum scam worth 1.76 lakh crore; the 2012 Waqf land scam worth 1.5 to two lakh crore; the 2010 Commonwealth Games scam worth 70,000 crore; the 2009 Satyam scam worth 14,000 crore; the Bofors scam worth 100 crore to 200 crore; the Fodder Scam worth 1,500 crore and the Hawala scandal worth 100 crore .
The figures quoted are from media sources and are not official figures. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's had said that the focus should be on 'minimum Government, maximum governance'. Obviously, the bureaucracy has sold the idea.
When I joined the Indian Police Service in 1961, there was only one Secretary in the department of Government of India and one Secretary-level officer to the Government of India holding the post of Chief Secretary in the State Government of India.
Same was true for all departments in Central and State Governments where officers where the Joint Secretary or the additional Secretary was the head of the department. Now there is such a proliferation for higher-level posts that whether there is work or not justifying it has become secondary.
During my service days, just before my retirement, I went to meet a friend who was a Secretary to the Government. I apologised to him for dropping in without an appointment. He replied back saying that I need not be apologetic, as he did not have any work. I was amazed and asked him to amplify. To which he replied that as he had incurred the wrath of the powers that be, he was given the present high sounding job. He discovered that he had only four files and he disposed off one on the first day. His private Secretary told him that it is better to make queries after queries so that people get an impression that you have enough work and read the files. Now it has been reported that the Government of India is going to add to the bloated bureaucracy 2.2 lakh employees.
As it is, nothing moves the Government without bribery and corruption. As per the latest corruption perception index prepared by Transparency International, an international corruption watch dog, India ranks 76 in corruption out of the 168 countries in the world. Global financial integrity attributes to India's poor governance for tax evasion and corruption which results in illicit financial flows of about $462 billion from the country.
This is an issue that needs to be tackled urgently because corruption not only reduces the social acceptability of whatever growth we have achieved, but it actually reduces growth. Adding more bureaucracy means more corruption, with a few honourable exceptions.
When I joined the service, after my training in the National Police Academy, I was posted to Mysore district. With a salary of Rs350, I could not afford a new cycle. And now most of the lowest functionaries have cars and big bungalows. This because of ancient laws, delays in the court, as the Government despite various commissions and recommendations did not give the requisite judicial manpower as well as strengthen to other infrastructure.
All these factors has let the corrupt escape. It is important to bear in mind that if you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you do not have integrity, then whatever other qualities you have does not matter.
William Shakespeare has rightly said, "This above all - to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man".
([email protected]) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
STOCK UPDATE |
|
|
 |
| BSE
Sensex |
 |
| NSE
Nifty |
|
|
| |
CRICKET UPDATE |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
