NEW DELHI, Aug 5:
President Pranab Mukherjee today said while there may be need for new institutions to fight corruption, the solution lies not merely in creating more institutions but in strengthening and reforming the existing ones to deliver results.
In an e-interaction with faculty and students of 1,172 Central universities and institutions from Rashtrapati Bhavan, the President cited progressive legislations like the Right to Information, education, food and employment to empower citizens and said novel legislations can work only with a robust delivery mechanism.
“Corruption leads to denial of equitable distribution of benefits. Complexity and opacity of rules and procedures, discretion in the exercise of power and weak enforcement of legal provisions are factors contributing to corruption.
“While we might need some new institutions to fight corruption, the solution lies not merely in creating more institutions but in strengthening and reforming the existing institutions to deliver results,” the President said while interacting with the teachers and students using the National Knowledge Network.
The President said the subject of today’s interaction is ‘Democracy and Governance’ because good governance is a mechanism to establish order, pursue social and economic progress and promote welfare of the people.
“As developing countries grapple with a multitude of socio-economic objectives, standards of governance have come into sharp focus in recent years. In this backdrop, I have chosen to speak to you today on an issue of contemporary relevance,” he said.
He also stressed for adequate decentralisation of power which includes giving financial autonomy to Panchayati Raj Institutions. “Reforms in this third tier of governance are necessary for sharing of real power with the people,” he said.
Calling upon the students to make governance of the country their passion, the President advised them that they should “choose to engage” with “beautiful but sometimes noisy democracy” so that the institutions of democracy perform their duties with responsibility.
The President said good governance has to be nurtured by carefully developing institutions of democracy and highlighted that in case of failure by one or more institutions in democracy, people, especially the youth, should try and strengthen and re-invent them to meet the needs of the time.
Mukherjee said good governance is critically dependent on pre-requisites like inviolable adherence to rule of law, existence of participatory decision-making structure, responsiveness, transparency, accountability, corruption-free society, equity and inclusiveness.
The President pointed out that governance implied involving the civil society as an equal collaborator and one must, therefore, be conscious of duties and responsibilities, besides rights.
“Intolerance and acrimony in public discourse has to be avoided. Our country needs constructive partners rather than privilege seekers,” he said.
Highlighting the role of good education, he said the institutes of higher learning are “the cradle of future administrators and policy makers.
“The seeds of progressive thinking have to be sown and nurtured here. The core civilisational values of love for motherland, performance of duty, compassion for all, tolerance for pluralism, respect for women, honesty in life, self-restraint in conduct, responsibility in action and discipline have to be inculcated in these institutions,” he said.
The President said the Constitution of the country was a living document which has evolved with time and within its spacious provisions, accommodated the changing needs of a growing democracy.
“It is a constant reminder of our civilisational values, which we at times tend to forget. We will do well to remind ourselves, at least occasionally, that these values are sacrosanct in the functioning of our democracy,” he said.
He complimented all the first-time voters who had cast their ballot in this year’s general elections. “This election has provided majority to a single party for the formation of a stable Government after 30 years, with a mandate to provide good governance,” he said. (PTI)
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