Corruption Grips India
By MuraleeDharan Raghavan
17 August, 2010
The Verdict Weekly
India’s former prime minister late Indira Gandhi, once said: “Corruption is everywhere. It is global”. Yes. Her, words came true at least in the case of India.
Is our society on a growth path or is it sliding? The question agitates the mind. Also, if it is growing could the growth be sustained? True, liberal economic rules have ensured breaking away from past morbidity. But the nation has yet to recover its health and if symptoms persist may slide once again.
The Supreme Court had recently commented that the fair price shops were totally bogged down in corruption. The district administration makes its allotment. For a long period, the petty leaders of the ruling party have a say in running of these shops. Then they pass on these shops to private people on rent who start exploiting the gullible PDS card-holders. Their co-operative stores too have become akin to the Housing Co-op societies where the land sharks prevailed over the affairs of the societies and they looted the common man at will. In the name of co-operation, the ration shops too have met the same fate.
The foodgrains are being sold by adulterating them. Sugar and kerosene are being given away to the hotels and petrol pumps. Both the Centre and the States are accusing one another with the Centre saying that the states fail to lift the allotted quota of foodgrains and their distribution system is far from satisfactory. At the same time the states charge the centre with not making full supply of the PDS commodities.
The Madhya Pradesh government has taken a decision to set up the ration shops through Co-operative committees. The government has plans to open 8000 PDS shops in the rural areas. Today the number of these shops stands at 15,000. Due to lack of proper roads, transport facility and no inspections, irregularities in the PDS shops becomes a regular feature. Foodgrains meant for PDS shops get sold in the market. Now, the government plans to run a pilot project for Antodaya card holders in tribal areas. Also, there would be review of prices to lift the Co-operative committees from the red. After this exercise, the ration shops would open everyday. Every shop would have a salesman and no permission would be given to start any other venture from the ration shop premises.
Take the case of Maharashtra. Most of the PDS shops are co-owned by the retail shop owners in the vicinity and the commodity meant for public distribution never reach the fair shops, instead diverted into the godown of the owner, then re-sold through the owners’ private shop at a higher rate. Long ques in front of the ration shops are a common view in the metropolis, which the politicians and builders’ lobby claim to be converted into a Singapore or Shanghai .
The Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit dreams of making Delhi a world-class city was “finally coming true” as the city has witnessed rapid development in the last decade. “When I became the chief minister in 1998, I had one dream-to make Delhi a world-class city. Today that dream is coming true,” she said, claiming that the city witnessed rapid development in almost all sectors in the last decade. However, she conceded that there was still need to focus on upliftment of economically weaker sections. “The government will also finalise its policy of allotment of low-cost houses, which will go a long way in making Delhi a slum-free city. Around 8000 low-cost houses have already been constructed, ” adding that the social sector will receive the priority once the Commonwealth Games concludes, which is gripped by corruption at each level. While the capital is going through a tough phase in every field, Ms Dikshit said Delhi would become a power-surplus state soon with the opening of three more plants in the next two months. “The city now boosts the world’s 6th largest airport, metro connectivity, flyovers, strong hospitality sector and so on,” she said.
Yes. They are utterly converting the metropolis into Singapore and world class cities, by building unwanted over bridges, constructing high raise towers – by destroying commonman’s livelihood.
The ‘ommission’ stem has become common. For example, if you go to a government office to get a genuine job done, the official doesn’t have ‘time’ to hear your petition. However, entrust the to a man (dalal) who is well conversant with the official ‘formalities’ – agent or broker, you will get it done within hours.
The common man in the city (read India) is so disturbed and as we say, there is a limit for everything. The day will soon come, when people throw ‘shoes’ on politicians, bureaucrats. Before, that the politicians should better reach the people and try to understand their problem, instead of debating about the poor in five star hotels accompanied by multi-national company executives and land-sharks!
The nation has not got any compensation from many scams fodder, Harshad Mehta and Ketan Parek scams, UTI scam, judges Provident Fund scandal, Koda scam, IPL cricket scandal, amassing of wealth by UP politicians and many others and now the Commonwealth Games’ scam.
The country needs to frame its financial rules and introduce auditing even before the money is spent. On monetary matters scrutiny by the Comptroller Auditor General (CAG) is more a matter of academic interest. Nobody knows if someone has been punished, any monies been recovered from him?
The nation urgently needs a stringent pre-audit of expenses so that the corrupt cannot thrive. Else, the nation instead of progressing should expect a repeat of the Greek - even Mohammad bin Tughlaq built a new city at a very high cost and paid an astronomical price: liquidation of his Kingdom. Are we excelling Tughlaq? If so, we should remain prepared for the consequences also. Tuglaq - tragedy here in its amphitheatres!
The writer is Editor-in-Chief of THE VERDICT – of the reader for the reader, an English weekly tabloid published by The Independent Media of India Group, Mumbai, India. He can be contacted at [email protected]
