‘It’s
very difficult to fight corruption’
We are No. 2 Honest State:
Azad
* CVC calls for services through websites
By Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU,
Feb 16: In a virtual rebuff to Transparency
International which had given J&K the
infamous tag of "No. 2 corrupt State",
Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today said that
Jammu and Kashmir was "second honest
State" in the country after Kerala but
admitted that it was "very difficult"
to fight corruption.
Addressing a
function organised jointly by State Vigilance
Organisation (SVO) and Indian Institute of Public
Administration (IIPA) on ‘Responsive
Governance—Issues and Perspectives’
here, Mr Azad said: "we are only behind
Kerala in honesty. All other States and Union
Territories (UTs) are behind us if the criteria
of measuring the corrupt States is to be looked
into from properties of political leaders and
bureaucrats across the country".
Without making a
mention of Transparency International’s
report, the Chief Minister observed that J&K
is crown of India and is known world over (even
in the countries where people don’t know
about New Delhi and Mumbai’s location).
"No other
State can boost to be so famous across the globe
as J&K. Kashmir and its location is known
everywhere even ahead of Mumbai and New Delhi.
So, it becomes our responsibility to keep that
crown clean. That crown has to be cleanest and
not dirty", he asserted.
Central Vigilance
Commissioner (CVC) Pratyush Sinha, Chief
Secretary B R Kundal, IIPA chairman and former
Chief Secretary Dr S S Bloeria, PSC chairman MS
Pandit, DGP Kuldeep Khoda and Vigilance
Commissioner Dr Ashok Bhan among others were
present on the occasion.
"People want
to fight corruption. We are getting desired
support from desired quarters", Mr Azad said
and asked Dr Bhan to hold a similar function with
big gathering in Srinagar also. He requested the
CVC to visit Srinagar.
But, he
admitted, it is very very difficult to fight
corruption. "I have dealt with all political
parties and their leaders single handedly.
Fighting all of them together is not as difficult
as fighting corruption", he observed
pointing out that during his 32 years long
political career he faced challenges from
wealthier parties and mighty politicians and
overcame their challenge even without the support
of his party colleagues.
"However,
fighting corruption was the toughest task than
fighting all politicians together. Corrupt
persons have developed too deep a nexus", he
said and added that mission of his Government is
to give a good governance which is achievable.
"We are on right path and we will achieve
it".
"This is the
pro-active State. We are carrying forward the
process which the CVC was doing across the
country", he said.
Mr Azad announced
that the State will soon opt for a Disaster
Management Act to improve working of Disaster
Management Authority. Crisis Management
Authorities have been set up in all districts to
deal with any crisis in future. The Crisis
Management Cell in Jammu University is being
strengthened for prior warnings as the State
falls in quake prone zone. He lauded Air Force,
para-military, police and other agencies which
responded immediately to provide succour to the
people in the wake of heavy snowfall recently.
Lauding the
Vigilance Organisation, headed by Dr Ashok Bhan,
for taking percentage of proved cases from 30 to
90, he said two special courts of Session Judges
are being created, one each in Jammu and
Srinagar, to improve conviction rate. He noted
that the State has also introduced cashless
transactions in all State treasuries.
The Chief Minister
made a mention of an Anti-Corruption Law passed
by the State Legislature in early 2006 which, he
said, was the unique law not only in India but
the world over under which property of nearly a
dozen bureaucrats has been seized or attached so
far while dozens of officials were still under
scrutiny.
He recalled that a
European Union delegation during visit to Kashmir
was all praise for the law and after getting a
copy of it invited him to address EU Parliament
within 15 days. The EU leaders had said that they
too wanted to pass such a law but were unable to
do so.
Mr Azad reiterated
incentives and disincentives for Ministers and
officers for fighting corruption. "We keep
on changing them from time to time", he said
adding a CM’s gold medal and cash awards are
being given to officers, contractors and whistle
blowers.
A one year
extension in service has been proposed for the
whistle blowers. He took exception to the
harassment of whistle blowers by their superiors
and dubbing them as "CIDs".
He also made a
mention of works being executed in double and
even triple shifts saying this has not only led
to timely, or, in some cases, before the time
completion of works but also saved the cost of
works from escalation. Earlier, a number of works
had to be abandoned as their cost were used to
escalate due to delay in their completion. At the
same time, he added, there was no compromise with
quality of work. Health, education and road
sectors are being given priority in execution of
works, he said.
The Chief Minister
reiterated that Right to Information (RTI) Act
will be amended to make it at par with the
Central Act.
In his address,
Central Vigilance Commissioner, Pratyush Sinha
said: "we have been toying with an idea to
reduce contact between average citizens and
Government authorities to zero level to end the
corruption.
"A
software is being developed for the purpose to
ensure public services on website", he said.
Mr Sinha said it
has been made compulsory for the Government of
India to put all tenders and other procurement on
website. Methodology of deciding the tenders
should be clear on the website. Payments made by
the Government should also go on web so that if
anyone jumps the queue, it is known to all, he
added.
He told the
gathering that application for converting lease
hold to free hold land was a major area of
corruption. Now, with the help of software,
applications will be accepted or returned, if
conditions are not fulfilled, on web only.
Within, three or four days of processing, the
order will be passed.
With the help of
Satyam, a similar system has been developed in
Bangalore under which entire land record has been
put on web. Even registration of land can be done
on the website, the CVC disclosed and observed
that "sometimes we are afraid of technology
due to its cost but in the long run the
technology will cost less".
Technology should
be forced upon various institutions by political
leadership. If macro changes are not passed on to
the people, they will be rendered irrelevant, he
asserted.
Saying that
nothing can be achieved of expenditure on
development if the governance is not good, Mr
Sinha stressed: "we must increasingly use
technology to bring transparency in Government
functioning".
Cautioning against
the use of RTI for settling "personal
scores", he said the Act has to be used
carefully for eliciting information.
Describing
procurement and recruitment as "corruption
prone", Mr Singh said if the State
Government could adopt the CVC or their own
guidelines on the two issues they could benefit a
long. He observed that there was no flaw with the
system but people want short cuts for which they
end up losing more.
He also referred
to Integrity Pact, which was first executed in
Berlin, Germany between builder and contractor
for construction of an international airport
under which both sides had signed on a formal
agreement not to take or give corruption.
"ONGC has
become first organisation in the country to adopt
Integrity Pact 18 months back and they have a
very good experience. Overall, 20 organisations
in the Government of India have agreed to adopt
the pact including Civil Aviation Ministry and
Ministry of Defence", the CVC said.
Giving a
historical back ground of the concept of
vigilance, the CVC emphasized the role of
vigilance as a tool of management. Tracing the
evolution of the concept of vigilance, he said
that vigilance was not looked at in the narrow
sense of fighting corruption but as a tool of
managing the affairs of the Government. Without
effective vigilance the concept of responsive
governance would only remain an empty slogan, he
added.
The CVC laid
emphasis on the existence of permanent
institutions. The funds alone cannot lead to
progress and development, it is only after
permanent institutions of governance are evolved
which can lead to responsive governance, he said.
Referring to the
Right to Information Act, he said that remarkable
improvement would be achieved in the responsive
governance after the Act takes effect in J&K
though there may be some problems in the
beginning.
Speaking about
preventive vigilance, Mr Sinha said that
preventive vigilance depends on key factors which
include introduction of a e-governance. Starting
from the stage when tender forms are received
upto the stage of payment to the executing
agency, the level of personal contact of people
with the official hierarchy should be reduced. In
the domain of public services deliverance the
same principle has to be applied. Special
software has already been developed in the
Central Govt and in many States like Andhra
Pradesh when it will be possible to transact
official business on the website of Govt.
departments.
Highlighting key
factors for evolving responsive governance, the
CVC emphasized on viable, durable and responsive
institutional arrangements. Use of technology for
transparency and equity in the affairs of Govt
and enforcement of role of law.
In his address,
Vigilance Commissioner, Dr Ashok Bhan listed
‘Objectives 2008" which include quality
information, reaching far flung areas, opening
offices in Poonch, Doda, Kupwara, Pulwama and
Leh, use of technology in aid of investigations
and measures to boost the trial.
He said maximum
complaints were pouring in from Revenue
Department as compared to other Departments.
He added that the
number of trap cases have gone up considerably
which indicated that the people were fast coming
up against corruption and registering their
complaints.
Dr Bhan, who is
also Secretary IIPA and was instrumental in
carrying forward the Government’s
anti-corruption drive with pro-active approach of
the Vigilance Organisation, said the
Government’s spirit of giving a responsive
and accountable administration has not dampened
despite criticism by some vested interests.
"The process
set in motion by the Government is irreversible.
It’s results have started pouring in",
the Vigilance Commissioner said.
Mr Bhan said that
transparency, accountability, work culture and
responsive administration by the Government have
lead to a healthy debate in media, offices and
even on the road side which indicated the success
of the slogans.
During day long
seminar on ‘Responsive
Governances—Issues and Perspectives’,
several speakers spoke on different subjects.
Finance Commissioner B B Vyas delivered a lecture
on ‘Grievances Redressal Mechanism’
while Shekhar Singh, an RTI activist from New
Delhi, who is a member of NGO ‘National
Campaign for People’s Right’ spoke on
‘RTI Act in practice’.
Manoj Kumar
Dwivedi, Additional CEO Shri Mata Vaishno Devi
Shrine Board (SMVDSB) addressed the gathering on
‘Vigilance as a Management Function’
while Jalil Ahmed Khan, former Chief Secretary of
the State had his topic "Critical appraisal
of Single Line Administration.
Dr G N Qasba
presented welcome note and compered the
programme.
Chairman,
IIPA’s J&K branch and former Chief
Secretary of the State, Dr S S Bloeria also
addressed the seminar.
Prof Kulwant Singh
from Jammu University presented the
Reporteur’s report.
Speaking on
"Redressal of Public Grievances", B. B.
Vyas, traced the genesis of the concept of
"Ombudsman" and talked about its
evolution through Roman, Greek, Persian, Arabian
and Scandinavian countries.
He termed the
administrative system as continuous and evolving
with full scope for accepting changes for the
better.
Shekhar Singh
deliberated on strengthening the RTI Act saying
that the Indian version of Right to Information
Act was most powerful one in the world in terms
of its scope and application. He emphasized on
the need of creating public awareness to make
people know their rights in this regard.
Speaking on the
topic "Vigilance as a Management
Function" Manoj Kumar Diwedi said that
vigilance is looking at proactive means to put a
fight against corruption and added that spending
of public money with fiscal prudence and better
planning besides use of good management skills
could be of a great help to curtail the levels of
corruption.
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