Omkar Dattatray
India is presently facing problem of corruption as our politico administrative system and public institutions are suffering from the canker. The corruption in the public life is a very serious matter and it concerns all of us. The corruption is eating the vitals of the administrative machinery and our politico social system like a termite and there is urgent need to address this problem to save our institutions from the adverse effects of corruption. It is so sad that the corruption has been institutionalized and there is no sector of the country where the canker of corruption has not raised its ugly head. We need to attack the monster of corruption with all force at our command and free the public and private institutions from the danger of corruption. It is so good that the NDA government headed by the BJP has declared the policy of zero tolerance to corruption and it should be seen how the zero tolerance to corruption is implemented on the ground. The policy of zero tolerance to corruption should not remain merely a pious declaration and in that case there is no use and purpose of the policy of zero tolerance to corruption. The corruption is number one enemy of our democracy and country and it should be fought on a war footing to free our institutions and public offices from the menace of corruption. Since the BJP government has declared corruption as the number one enemy of the country and has declared that corruption in the public life will not be tolerated and so it is a matter of some satisfaction but it is to be seen as to how will the BJP government fight the war with the hydra headed giant of corruption and free the country and society from corruption. The corruption is universal in nature and in India the corruption is seen from top to bottom of the administrative hierarchy and no segment of the public life is free from the curse and bane of corruption. Some attribute the wholesale corruption to democracy and take it as the bane of the democracy. The corruption has no place in our politico administrative and public system and as such it is the bounden duty of all of us to contribute our might in the fight against the corruption. Corruption is seen everywhere in our public and private institutions and the problem of corruption needs to be addressed on a war scale to free our social and public system from the corruption. The transparency and good governance are the aims of the government of the day and therefore the war against the corruption has got top most priority in the scheming of the government. Our institutions are falling prey to the demon of corruption and this need to be freed from the virus of corruption so that our institutions are saved from the infection of corruption. It is a recognized fact that no work is got done anywhere without greasing the palms of the corrupt and dishonest officials and this is a serious matter and demands our attention. The dishonesty and moral degradation has infected our system and all our institutions are invaded by the demon of corruption due to the dishonesty. Therefore if we have to succeed in our fight against the corruption, we should attack dishonesty and moral perversion to defeat corruption. The corruption was at its low after the freedom of the country and there was negligible corruption during the decades following the freedom but in nineties it reached to its nadir and today corruption is a mass scale phenomenon and is tearing our public system and threatening our existence. The corruption has crept into our administrative and political ladder and it is has become cancerous and needs early surgery to save our public and administrative system from corruption. The corruption has assumed enormous proportions and has invaded our politico social and administrative system and it needs to be fought sincerely to save the society from falling apart. The corruption stands today institutionalized and its presence is felt from top to bottom of the administration structure and it is not so easy to win war against the menace of corruption. The fight against the corruption needs strong will power and determination and we are fortunate enough that at the present time we have the Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is a strong willed chief executive of the country and he has declared war against the corruption. But government only will not succeed in fight against the corruption, it needs the contribution and support of the responsible citizens and then and only then we will succeed in our fight against the corruption. It is a matter of satisfaction that Modi government has declared war and zero tolerance to corruption and therefore we should provide a helping hand to the government in its fight against the corruption. Not that there are no laws against the corruption in force in the country, but what is needed is to implement the anti-corruption laws strictly to ensure corruption free public life. However there is urgent need to enact stringent anti corruption laws to tackle the problem of corruption. Thus there is need to enforce the stringent anti corruption laws to fight the menace of corruption and free the society from the clutches of corruption. The corruption has spread to a large scale and there is nexus between the corrupt officials and the politicians and it is a serious matter and therefore corruption has to be fought with strong will and determination. While the corrupt officers need to be Challaned and punished to enforce corruption free environment in public offices and private institutions, the honest officers and officials need to be given monetary and non monetary incentives like promotions, awards, citations and certificates and other encouragements to ensure corruption is kept at bay. Therefore there is need to rein in the corrupt officers and officials and also to encourage the honest ones so that the corrupt ones are punished and the honest officers are rewarded. In this way we will be in a position to enforce discipline in the public institutions and also to fight the corruption. Thus the government should practice two pronged strategy to fight the menace of corruption. One one hand government should enforce discipline and punish the corrupt officers and on the other hand the honest officers and officials should be encouraged to work with selflessness and honestly so that the corruption is shown the door. There is need to award the honest officers on the eve of the national festivals so that they will continue to work with honesty and dedication. Thus the honest officials should be awarded with prizes and certificates on independence day and on the eve of republic day so that the honest officers are encouraged to work with honesty so that others will emulate their conduct and behavior and the corrupt need to be given stringent punishment so that others will not dare to indulge into dishonest and male practices and such punishments will work as a deterrent to corruption. The fact is that the corruption is today not on a small scale but has become a mass activity encompassing all fields of our public life and our administrative setup is fed up with the problem of corruption and it needs immediate attention. We have to purge the public life and institutions from the bane of corruption. The scam after scam has invaded our political and administrative system one outnumbering the other in severity and magnitude and these scams have become a common affair and have tarnished our image in the international community. In some cases ministers and other higher-ups are found involved into corruption and scams and some are facing the punishments as well and it is a good sign that the highest in the political hierarchy are facing the punishments and some are jailed like former chief minister of Bihar Lallu Prasad Yadav. This will in fact serve as a deterrent to indulge in corruption. Anyway the declaration of zero tolerance to corruption by BJP government is a matter of some satisfaction and all the responsible citizens should contribute their might in the fight against corruption so that the country will succeed in the fight against the corruption and can get rid from the bane of corruption at the earliest. Therefore all of us should actively help the government in its fight against corruption and then only will we succeed in fighting the corruption from the public life and politics.
(The author is a retired Education Officer and Columnist).