Dt: 26/7/14
Bewildering Corruption
Dr T.H.Chowdary*
1. Corruption is a wonder:
1.1 Giving an exposition on Aatma (soul) as a distinct from the body Lord Krishna observed “Aascharvat pasyati......” - “some people look at it with wonder; some speak about it in wonder; some hear about it in wonder but none has understood it in reality....” -Bhagawad Gita 2.29.
We can safely substitute corruption for aatma. The corrupt as well as its denouncers speak about the all pervading corruption. The extent of this corruption fits another Bhagawadgita sloka,
“sarvathah pani padam tatsarvatho a ksisiromukham
sarvathahah sruthimalloke sarvamavritthya thishtathi – B.G 13.13
It is all pervasive, its feet and hands and eyes are everywhere !
1.2 It maybe blasphemous or irreverent to cite the profound and solemn Bhagawad Gita to write about profane corruption but the character of corruption and its extent fit the description of the soul and the immanence of divine everywhere, as expounded in the Bhagawadgita.
2. Corruption Related to Welfare:
2.1 Corruption leads to black money. Black money is being generated through a wonderful instrument called welfare of the poor. Rajiv Gandhi as Prime Minister observed while speaking at the centenary of the Indian National Congress in 1985 in Bombay, that 85% of the money spent upon welfare for the poor is not reaching them. Since then this proportion must have gone up only. In 2004, the amount of welfare spending for the poor through different schemes in the country amounted to about Rs. 40,000 cr. In the last years of the UPA-II government, it ballooned Rs. 2,50,000 cr per year. 85% of it is Rs. 2,12,500 cr. This much black money is generated in consequence of the so called welfare schemes for the poor like the NREGA, Rs. 1 Kg rice, Indira Houses pensions for the aged, pregnant and physically disabled etc. No one can object and still be popular, to spending for the poor. The Congress party has found out the most popular and least objectionable method of generating black money by its “welfare” schemes. There must be some way of ending this “welfare” which allows the poor to survive in poverty but not enable them to quit poverty. Measures like welfare being admissible only to such families who have no more than two children and that too for limited years and so on, will have to be devised. If these can’t be implemented with retrospective effect, they must be effected prospectively after extensive education through every type of media.
2.2 A few days ago Sri K.Chandra Sekhar Rao, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Telengana gave out that there are 91 lakhs white ration cards and 15 lakhs pink ration cards in Telengana. At four persons per family, more than four crores of the less than 4.5 cr people in Telengana are poor! Can this be believed? He further wanted to find out whether these ration cards are for with shop keepers or with whom else. Once there was a report in the newspapers that a political leader gifted 500 white ration cards with some bogus names to a newly married couple.
2.3 In the undivided state of Andhra Pradesh two crore houses are reported to have been built by the government for the poor under various schemes during the several Five year plans. Two crore houses mean eight crore of people living in government gifted houses . The population of Andhra Pradesh is 8.5 cr . Can we believe that all are living in government -built houses for the poor!
2.4 It is obvious that money is spent in the name of welfare for the poor. But as Rajiv Gandhi said 85% it is pocketed by politicians in the power, business- men and some government officers. This is how corruption has been institutionalised and has become uneliminatable, because it is in the name of poor, for the poor and therefore none dares to question this expense.
3. Election-related Corruption:
3.1. While in the past, bribing government officials was to speed up the officers decisions on requests and appeals, in the recent few decades, corruption is rooted in the greed of people to amass wealth and use it to exercise government power and through it, amass much more wealth. The degeneration in men’s morals has come to such an extent and government has become so obstreperous that by getting the levers of government power, one’s crimes can be covered up and by withholding or granting requests and licences, one can make huge money. The money made can be utilised stash in safe havens abroad for use by the progeny, or take to politics and through politics become a legislator and minister and amass further wealth.
3.2 Votes are being purchased by candidates of almost every party. The amount distributed per voter varies from party to party. When the voters are told or admonished that accepting money and voting for the prayer is immoral and unbecoming of a citizen and that it is subversive of democracy, voters are wisely saying that all this money is black money acquired by these unscrupulous candidates; it is peoples money that has been looted by these people and part of it is coming back to us. Therefore to accept this money is not immoral but it is our right to get back at least part of what is was being looted . We take money from every candidate but we are voting according go to our judgment. There seems to be some logic in this although corruption gets normalised and perpetuated by this permissiveness.
3.3 Elections to Panchayat, Mandal, Zilla Praishad, State Assembly and the Lok Sabha are all involving tens of thousands of candidates. Elections are coming nearly serially and not all at one time and therefore most of the time, there is sale and purchase of votes. Apart from this direct transfer of money huge amounts are spent for holding public rallies meetings. People are transported to these rallies. They are also paid for their attendance . A new business, “audience supply”. For road shows, for precessions, for rallies and public meetings is taken up by some enterprising people. There are different rates fixed for different types of persons for different hours of engagement by these audience supply companies. The same set of people may demonstrate for one candidate in the forenoon and for another, in the afternoon and in between be present at a road show. These exercises by parties and candidates require huge amount of cash, that is black money.
3.4 Just as use of telecom and IT is leading to economies and efficiency in every activity including governance, the expenditure and by parties and candidates for election can be minimised by use of IT. There are over 800 TV channels. Almost all of them are available throughout the country, through cable operators. As conditions of license, these maybe required to devote say 8 hours free, for discourse by political parties and candidates recognised by the Election Commission in the state and the centre. Time may be allotted for these parties & candidates so that they will address voters through TV channels (and FM radio too). These can be reached live by toll free telephone numbers by citizens. This way, political discourse for elections could be shifted from public meetings to TV channels. Public rallies and demonstrations and meetings in the open ( in maidans, play grounds, road sides etc.,) should be banned. Such a ban is not impossible . When Sri T.N.Sheshan was Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) he ordered that no candidate or party shall write anything on walls and other public places. That practice has been ended. Similarly, the CEC can enforce the ban on public meetings and shift all propaganda and canvassing to be on electronic media only.
3.5 Then comes the movement of voters to the polling booths. This is also arranged by spending money through agents. We are going to have in every village a Common Service Center (CSC) off nation –wide broad band telecom network. Everyone of them is high speed broadband internet connection. In addition, there are internet kiosks and connections in schools and libraries and so on. Every voter is now having an identity card with his unique identity already captured and stored in solid state memories. Any voter can go to any CSC or those specially set up internet kiosk s for election purposes. The Internet Kiosk or CSC is equipped with a camera . The voter presses his voter identity number and looks into the camera . His digitised identity and physical appearance are compared and if they tally, a green light signal can be given. Then he can go ahead with the selection of the candidate and press the button for the candidate he chooses . He can get a paper trail print -out . Voting is over from anywhere . He cannot do it twice. The program will take care o fit. Enough security can be built into the programs and the software.
Corruption not related to elections is to be tackled in a different way. Transparency about every transaction and the RTI would progressively bring about reduction in corruption connected with grant or denial of request or licences or permits etc.
4. The amount of corruption can wax and wane depending upon the morality of leaders in political parties and in government. It must be a constant fight just like between good and evil. If the Prime Minister and Chief Ministers and presidents and other office bearers of political parties are men of integrity and wise and care for lasting prosperity and amelioration of the poor, corruption can be kept at the minimum. Elimination will be impossible as both good and evil dwell in men as they have always been from times immemorial. (1,621 words)
END