M L Gupta
After centuries of slavery India achieved freedom in 1947. J.L. Nehru the Ist Prime Minister of India overlooked Corruption. He constituted Central Vigilance Commission only in March 1964 after the issue was repeatedly raised from time to time in the parliament. The investigating agency remained ineffective being under control of PMO and corruption increased with successive Congress and Congress led Governments. However the agency acted as effective tool to keep the opposition leaders & unpliable bureaucrats under check. When the scale of corruption assumed unparalleled proportions in scams like 2 G spectrum & coal block allotment where Govt. exchequer suffered a loss of Rs.1.76 lac crores and 2 lac crores respectively, the people came on street against the congress led UPA Govt. of Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as was apparent from Anna Hazare led protests at Delhi where in public at large numbers poured even during rain and cold winter. Chinese on the other hand proved that it is system that changes the people who were otherwise labeled as opium eaters and lazy lot . China today is the most vibrant economy in the world 2nd only to USA. Modi who has come to power at Centre after April 2014 elections should take a lead from china and bring in reforms in elections besides in Governance. India has adopted. British parliament system where only 3 parties existed. On the other hand India has 187 political parties. Each of them takes funds from corporate sector as well from business community who inturn look for favours from the ruling party. Our election system based on money & muscle power and Governance based on absolute power generate corruption not only in allotment of lucrative licences like 2 G spectrum, coal and petroleum blocks but also in contracts for building, roads, high ways, power development projects, purchase of defence equipments, admission in professional colleges and even in allotment of M.L.C , M.L.A, M.P tickets and Ministerial berths. Indians have stacked abroad black money to the tune of Rs. hundred lac crores which is six times India’s reserve of Rs. 15.65 lac crores. Improving Governance alone cannot eradicate corruption but have to go together with election reforms . Here are some suggestions which can be considered for corruption. These are briefly given as follow:
* Raise eligibility criteria both at Central and State level for political parties to minimum 26% votes secured in last election out of total votes reducing the political system to two or three parties as in Western Countries.
* The election should be contested between the parties and not between candidates. The parties should receive representation proportionate to the votes secured both at parliamentary level and legislature level. Preferably parties should submit lists of their probable representatives to election Commission well before the elections.
* The defectors should cease to represent and parties be asked to nominate new representative in their place.
* The largest party should be given the rule of the country or state for full term and its decisions in all routine matters including budgets should be final with intimation to respective houses. Two third majorities should be mandatory only in matters relating to security, integrity and unity of the country.
* Independent bodies of experts in each field should be constituted by the President of India or his nominee Governors to devise methods and systems to check absolute power, favoritism and nepotism in governance. Tendering and processing of tenders in respect of contracts and purchases should become independent of official or political interference. Prized postings, promotion and transfers should also be regulated to curb absolute power and political/ bureaucratic interference. In order to ensure independence of vigilance, Judiciary or any other monitoring agency so constituted, these should be placed directly under president of India or his nominee Governors.
(The author is former MD J&K Minerals)
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