A very interesting topic Anil, as it evokes different points of view and is complex in nature. Our PM addressed the CBI a few days ago and instructed them to spare nobody, who is involved in corruption. The opposition parties lament that the agencies are being used to target them and have now filed a petition in the SC. It is common knowledge that the legislatures, bureaucrats and even the judiciary is involved in corruption. Hence, the investigations are justified. However, using the agencies for threatening is not acceptable; convictions along with recovery of public money is important. I don't understand why the son in law of an important opposition leader is not convicted as yet ? Convictions are important, as when the opposition will be in power, whenever that happens, they in turn will pursue the convictions of the present people in power. This process is most important to achieve a corruption free legislatures, bureaucrats and judiciary; leading to the ideal situation of a corruption free country.
Thank you for your thoughts Gautam. Couldn't agree with you anymore. Would add though that the Indian judicial system--from policing to courts--needs a desperate reset. One statistic, the backlog of cases in courts, will make this point clear. It will also answer the query as to why the open cases have still not closed.
Grabbed this from an answer shared in Parliament:
The Parliamentary figures reveal that at over 47 million, India has the largest number of pending court cases in the world. Also 2.4 crore cases are pending in India's district courts, of which 23 lakh (9.58%) have been pending for over 10 years, and 39 lakh (16.44%) have been pending for between 5 and 10 years
Glad that you flagged the PM's remarks at the CBI day before yesterday. He actually confirmed my thesis that this government is staking its reelection on its anti-corruption record and that it will not pull back at this stage.
Fascinating battle ahead.
Looking forward to your continued interventions Gautam.
At the outset I want to appreciate the cover picture. I think that the Mysore is one of grandest as well as best maintained monuments which I have come across. A must-see from every angle.
The term corruption is something I've heard since childhood and I've always associated it with politics. It's almost like a basic qualification if one wants to become a politician. I'm not even sure that there has ever been a time when the government at the centre hasn't been involved in some scam or the other. The names of the scams changed and we realized that even something like fodder can be converted into a scam! I recall one erstwhile P.M even commenting that the Centre would issue one rupee but by the time it reached the poor, only 15 paise would be left. Neither was the PM apologetic nor was the public shocked.
One must really thank the BJP for bringing in transparency into all public schemes and dealings. Earlier the middleman was ubiquitous and to think that he is an endangered species in such a short span of time is unimaginable. Let's hope for more such wonders from the government which it delivers what it promises.
Thank you for your thoughts. Even, I was struck by the grandeur of the Mysore palace and its stunning symmetry. Need to go back and revisit the palace.
You are spot on. Corruption has become so endemic that it was a way of life. Glad that questions are being asked about it--in politics, judiciary and so on. But detoxing will not be easy. But, as they say anything well begun is half done.
The cover picture brought back the memories of Amba Vilas palace of Mysore I visited Two years back.The influence of European architecture is so clearly visible in the magnificent grand palace.The colours and symmetry are awesome.
Coming to the topic, we cannot deny that corruption is one of the main factors stunting the economy of India. some main causes of widespread corruption in the country since decades have been excessive regulations, complicated tax and licensing system, numerous government departments with opaque bureaucracy and discretionary powers, lack of transparency, monopoly of government controlled institutions on delivery of essential goods and services, misallocation of investment funds in the economy etc.
A variety of organisations have been created in India to fight against corrupt buisness practices in govt as well private sector.Right to Information Act has reduced corruption to some extent.
But we all agree that transparency has increased and the system is slowly being cleaned.
Glad you liked the cover pix. It was simply stunning.
Agree with you that corruption is a legacy issue which has never been addressed seriously. And, licence raj made it worse. Worse the trust quotient between industry and government was non-existent. And, this in turn makes it very easy to spin stories around perceived acts of corruption. Arvind Subramanian, the former Chief Economic Advisor, had summed up this challenge a "stigmatised capitalism".
This was the quote from his exit interview when I worked for a publication.
“My hypothesis is that India is affected by stigmatized capitalism, where there is not enough trust in the private sector or in the ability of the state to regulate the private sector. It is making it much more difficult to give the private sector a bigger role. It is easier to give a public or a quasi-public entity a bigger role rather than getting more private sector participation."
If you look at Tamil Nadu's state politics, the vote bites where the money is, maybe still in rural areas, but in our daily lives, I have to say that Digitalization has increased transparency, reduced middlemen, and increased accountability. For example, online documents, even at the village panchayat level, must be moved in a timely manner, or the authority will have to answer to the whole system. In the past few years, I haven't physically filed any documents. The same cannot be said for my father, who struggles during his days. In some cases, it still poses a menace, but common people can live with it.
Thank you for your thoughts. And grateful for sharing a ground level experience with us. I can't agree with you anymore about how technology has triggered disintermediation and thereby curbed, if not eliminated the proverbial middleman. However, this is a still a work in progress. Especially since the disenfranchised middleman is extremely powerful and is fighting back. As a lay person, can only hope for the best and keep one's fingers crossed.
This was an unexpected topic! In these 9 years, we have quite forgotten how depressing and demoralising those relentless scams were. You are right, DBT has been the biggest blessing in the fight fight against corruption. Imagine the amount that would have been siphoned off from the pandemic benefit transfers if DBT had not been in place.
Sadly corruption still reigns supreme in certain departments - land/property registration immediately comes to mind. Hopefully total digitalization may bring some relief to this.
I think corruption cannot be completely rooted out unless our political system changes. You need crores to fight elections right from the panchayat to the national level. This kind of money is not possible for any party or individual to make in an honest way.
Thank you for your thoughts. True, the fight against corruption has just started. India has a long way to go before it makes a serious headway. And you rightly say that this will require the political class and all of us to reset our mindset.
After decades, corruption is a way of life. We don't hesitate in forking out an extra sum to deal with the friction that Indian public utilities inevitably generate. Some relief has been achieved by pushing disintermediation. The best example of this is the passport--I still recall the nightmare when it came to making/renewing one's passport. Today, computerisation has minimised contact and thereby eased the friction in the system.
This is low hanging fruit though. We need what you propose to really be freed of the clutches of this cancer.
Another great column. I would submit that because performance is demonstrating to electorate that eliminating corruption yields tangible dividends with real effects on people’s lives, this government is banking on positive electoral results redounding to their benefit from their focus on corruption. However, adversaries, both foreign and domestic, also will challenge this effort, because there has been a long-standing nexus of interests that have benefited from corruption in India, providing all sorts of leverage to those interests located both at home and abroad (something the late K. Subrahmanyam used to write about in the context of eliminating terrorism).
You are absolutely right. Corruption is deep rooted. It is a colonial legacy, which has assumed gargantuan proportions in the last six decades. And, yes it is like a cancer. But, it is one thing to announce a war against corruption and another to execute it. Technology has accelerated this process. But eventually, it will need a buy-in from people--both, in feeding the corruption machine, and casting their vote for the right candidate at election time.
I recall how a political reporter responding to my column (written several years ago) arguing that corruption was a taint on political parties pointed out that the round of state elections at that time had elected a party severely corrupt. That is why I argued today that is is a necessary but not sufficient condition for regime change.
A very interesting topic Anil, as it evokes different points of view and is complex in nature. Our PM addressed the CBI a few days ago and instructed them to spare nobody, who is involved in corruption. The opposition parties lament that the agencies are being used to target them and have now filed a petition in the SC. It is common knowledge that the legislatures, bureaucrats and even the judiciary is involved in corruption. Hence, the investigations are justified. However, using the agencies for threatening is not acceptable; convictions along with recovery of public money is important. I don't understand why the son in law of an important opposition leader is not convicted as yet ? Convictions are important, as when the opposition will be in power, whenever that happens, they in turn will pursue the convictions of the present people in power. This process is most important to achieve a corruption free legislatures, bureaucrats and judiciary; leading to the ideal situation of a corruption free country.
Thank you for your thoughts Gautam. Couldn't agree with you anymore. Would add though that the Indian judicial system--from policing to courts--needs a desperate reset. One statistic, the backlog of cases in courts, will make this point clear. It will also answer the query as to why the open cases have still not closed.
Grabbed this from an answer shared in Parliament:
The Parliamentary figures reveal that at over 47 million, India has the largest number of pending court cases in the world. Also 2.4 crore cases are pending in India's district courts, of which 23 lakh (9.58%) have been pending for over 10 years, and 39 lakh (16.44%) have been pending for between 5 and 10 years
Glad that you flagged the PM's remarks at the CBI day before yesterday. He actually confirmed my thesis that this government is staking its reelection on its anti-corruption record and that it will not pull back at this stage.
Fascinating battle ahead.
Looking forward to your continued interventions Gautam.
Best
Anil
Dear Anil
At the outset I want to appreciate the cover picture. I think that the Mysore is one of grandest as well as best maintained monuments which I have come across. A must-see from every angle.
The term corruption is something I've heard since childhood and I've always associated it with politics. It's almost like a basic qualification if one wants to become a politician. I'm not even sure that there has ever been a time when the government at the centre hasn't been involved in some scam or the other. The names of the scams changed and we realized that even something like fodder can be converted into a scam! I recall one erstwhile P.M even commenting that the Centre would issue one rupee but by the time it reached the poor, only 15 paise would be left. Neither was the PM apologetic nor was the public shocked.
One must really thank the BJP for bringing in transparency into all public schemes and dealings. Earlier the middleman was ubiquitous and to think that he is an endangered species in such a short span of time is unimaginable. Let's hope for more such wonders from the government which it delivers what it promises.
Dear Ranjini,
Thank you for your thoughts. Even, I was struck by the grandeur of the Mysore palace and its stunning symmetry. Need to go back and revisit the palace.
You are spot on. Corruption has become so endemic that it was a way of life. Glad that questions are being asked about it--in politics, judiciary and so on. But detoxing will not be easy. But, as they say anything well begun is half done.
Look forward to your continued participation.
Best
Anil
Dear Anil,
The cover picture brought back the memories of Amba Vilas palace of Mysore I visited Two years back.The influence of European architecture is so clearly visible in the magnificent grand palace.The colours and symmetry are awesome.
Coming to the topic, we cannot deny that corruption is one of the main factors stunting the economy of India. some main causes of widespread corruption in the country since decades have been excessive regulations, complicated tax and licensing system, numerous government departments with opaque bureaucracy and discretionary powers, lack of transparency, monopoly of government controlled institutions on delivery of essential goods and services, misallocation of investment funds in the economy etc.
A variety of organisations have been created in India to fight against corrupt buisness practices in govt as well private sector.Right to Information Act has reduced corruption to some extent.
But we all agree that transparency has increased and the system is slowly being cleaned.
Dear Vandana,
Glad you liked the cover pix. It was simply stunning.
Agree with you that corruption is a legacy issue which has never been addressed seriously. And, licence raj made it worse. Worse the trust quotient between industry and government was non-existent. And, this in turn makes it very easy to spin stories around perceived acts of corruption. Arvind Subramanian, the former Chief Economic Advisor, had summed up this challenge a "stigmatised capitalism".
This was the quote from his exit interview when I worked for a publication.
“My hypothesis is that India is affected by stigmatized capitalism, where there is not enough trust in the private sector or in the ability of the state to regulate the private sector. It is making it much more difficult to give the private sector a bigger role. It is easier to give a public or a quasi-public entity a bigger role rather than getting more private sector participation."
Look forward to your continued participation.
Best
Anil
If you look at Tamil Nadu's state politics, the vote bites where the money is, maybe still in rural areas, but in our daily lives, I have to say that Digitalization has increased transparency, reduced middlemen, and increased accountability. For example, online documents, even at the village panchayat level, must be moved in a timely manner, or the authority will have to answer to the whole system. In the past few years, I haven't physically filed any documents. The same cannot be said for my father, who struggles during his days. In some cases, it still poses a menace, but common people can live with it.
Dear Balasurya,
Thank you for your thoughts. And grateful for sharing a ground level experience with us. I can't agree with you anymore about how technology has triggered disintermediation and thereby curbed, if not eliminated the proverbial middleman. However, this is a still a work in progress. Especially since the disenfranchised middleman is extremely powerful and is fighting back. As a lay person, can only hope for the best and keep one's fingers crossed.
Best
Anil
This was an unexpected topic! In these 9 years, we have quite forgotten how depressing and demoralising those relentless scams were. You are right, DBT has been the biggest blessing in the fight fight against corruption. Imagine the amount that would have been siphoned off from the pandemic benefit transfers if DBT had not been in place.
Sadly corruption still reigns supreme in certain departments - land/property registration immediately comes to mind. Hopefully total digitalization may bring some relief to this.
I think corruption cannot be completely rooted out unless our political system changes. You need crores to fight elections right from the panchayat to the national level. This kind of money is not possible for any party or individual to make in an honest way.
Dear Laxmi,
Thank you for your thoughts. True, the fight against corruption has just started. India has a long way to go before it makes a serious headway. And you rightly say that this will require the political class and all of us to reset our mindset.
After decades, corruption is a way of life. We don't hesitate in forking out an extra sum to deal with the friction that Indian public utilities inevitably generate. Some relief has been achieved by pushing disintermediation. The best example of this is the passport--I still recall the nightmare when it came to making/renewing one's passport. Today, computerisation has minimised contact and thereby eased the friction in the system.
This is low hanging fruit though. We need what you propose to really be freed of the clutches of this cancer.
Looking forward to your continued participation.
Best
Anil
Another great column. I would submit that because performance is demonstrating to electorate that eliminating corruption yields tangible dividends with real effects on people’s lives, this government is banking on positive electoral results redounding to their benefit from their focus on corruption. However, adversaries, both foreign and domestic, also will challenge this effort, because there has been a long-standing nexus of interests that have benefited from corruption in India, providing all sorts of leverage to those interests located both at home and abroad (something the late K. Subrahmanyam used to write about in the context of eliminating terrorism).
Thank you Shiv.
You are absolutely right. Corruption is deep rooted. It is a colonial legacy, which has assumed gargantuan proportions in the last six decades. And, yes it is like a cancer. But, it is one thing to announce a war against corruption and another to execute it. Technology has accelerated this process. But eventually, it will need a buy-in from people--both, in feeding the corruption machine, and casting their vote for the right candidate at election time.
I recall how a political reporter responding to my column (written several years ago) arguing that corruption was a taint on political parties pointed out that the round of state elections at that time had elected a party severely corrupt. That is why I argued today that is is a necessary but not sufficient condition for regime change.
Best
Anil