CORRUPTION
PROBITY – A SELECTIVE APPROACH
Neerja Chowdhary is a political commentator, generally writing for mainstream print media. Writing on post YSR scenario in Andhra Pradesh, she wrote "Though he was criticized by his opponents of corruption, YSR was among those who recognized that money must be made not at the level of grassroot schemes". Whether she is right or not is not the point, but it is certainly a newer journalistic prism to have a view of corruption at higher echelons of governance, although this kind of view was indeed in vogue at oral-people to people-level.
Now what does this observation really boils down to?
In politics, most people make money. There are as many ways of making money as there are politicians. In making illegitimate sleaze, all political parties pass the test. May be among Communists there are more people, who could be construed to be upright. Similarly in BJP, number of MLAs, MPs, MLCs who are not making money on the quite, may be m
ore than other political parties. But in all other political parties including regional parties, people with clean image will certainly be there, but shall be few and few between. Of course in Karnataka the first BJP ruled state of South India, according to generally reliable update, the corruption is rather high.
That brings us to the modality of making money. We have umpteen mind bogling number of instances, how politicians make money. At one end we have Mr.Clean like Mr. A.K. Antony, the present union defence minister, so also the prime minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, with equally clean slate. Defence being a ministry with huge budgetory allocation, it is eminently possible to make big private gain. Probably it is for the reason of his personal probity that A.K. Antony was the choice of Congress President for the Defence portfolio. Although, it is not always possible to unearth shady deals in a ministry’s expenditure budgets since babus are involved all through the process of disbursal of funds, it can generally be passed off as normal. For example, look at the high road maintenance budget. Just about every year, the roads are repaired, the same stretch year after year, involving thousands of crores of rupees. There are fixed contract rates, and quality inspection being what it is, job is completed and paid for. The whole process is so non –transparent and there is no system of checks, counterchecks and controls to verify, what is the level of "hera – pheri" in awarding the repairs, measurements agreed, measurements executed and measurements billed and paid for. This leaves a whole lot of yawning gaps where pilferage is so very organized it is difficult to suspect and passed off as normal.Now this is only one of the many ways how manipulation is practiced and continued 'bindaas'. However in the case of repairs and maintenance of National highways, the amount involved is very huge and hence the scope to make illegitimate gain from top to bottom is equally very large. Then there are large public works contracts, which could involve most ministries, where again the scope for invisible gain for the people in power is just as huge. We have in our midst large class I PWD contractors, with all kinds of political connections, where politicians and highly placed babus are on the regular payroll of these PWD contractors. For the purpose of record, some paper works are organised to hood-wink the system and auditors, before the contracts are awarded. These contractors fund all activities of these politicians and babus make money out of these contractors by bending the terms of the contracts wherever and whenever possible. The amount of money is generally many times more than what must have been paid to these politicians and babus. Unfortunately in our body-politic every thing is for sale and purchasable. That’s the sad spectacle. Yes. Its true there are one’s like YSR who make money from bigger sources, do not touch smaller sources.
By smaller sources it could mean that schemes meant for Rural Employment Schemes like NREGS. This scheme has huge federal funding and there is enough scope for making money, by giving less money to labourers, recording dummy names, by having jobs recorded but in reality no job was carried out. Because of the size of the budget provision, there is a big scope for diverting funds without raising too many hackles.
Leaders like YSR probably maintained a standard not to syphon funds from such sources meant for poverty elevation programmes. Then you have politicians and babus making money on the sly out of natural disaster relief funds, like PM’s Relief fund or Chief Ministers Relief fund. Many example of this nature can be given. They are like blood sucking leaches. Like the one that happened in Delhi administration, where 3 officials of Delhi Muncipal Corporation, were arrested by ACB some times ago. The three officials were Deputy Commissioner of MCD Sanjay Gihar, who was formerly Joint Director of social welfare department, MJNPadu, Superintendent of Beggers Home and P.Anand Rao, Superintendent of Asha Kiran, a home for mentally retarded. The fraud committed was in the of MCD Sanjay Gihar, who was formerly Joint Director of social welfare department, MJN Padu, Superintendent of Beggers Home and P.Anand Rao, Superintendent of Asha Kiran, a home for mentally retarded. The fraud committed was in the purchase of clothing, bedding and other material required for Children Homes, Home for mentally retarded and for Begger Homes. So, we have Senior government officials making ‘fortune’ out of money meant for beggers and helpless orphans. Aren’t they worst than beggars!
Then there are ministers and their sons and daughters making money in transfers, be it teachers, be it policemen, be it office staff etc. These are exploitational corruption where you are exploiting someone’s helplessness. Even to get some legitimate job done, there are minister’s sons and relatives including some chief minister’s sons, asking for lakhs of rupees. This is very cheap and demeaning.
According to Ms Chowdhary YSR did not indulge in petty corruption. Yes corruption may not be very easy to be eradicated. But can that, at least leave the ordinary citizen, who are without any means, untouched, the YSR way!
I & C Feature
Neerja Chowdhary is a political commentator, generally writing for mainstream print media. Writing on post YSR scenario in Andhra Pradesh, she wrote "Though he was criticized by his opponents of corruption, YSR was among those who recognized that money must be made not at the level of grassroot schemes". Whether she is right or not is not the point, but it is certainly a newer journalistic prism to have a view of corruption at higher echelons of governance, although this kind of view was indeed in vogue at oral-people to people-level.
Now what does this observation really boils down to?
In politics, most people make money. There are as many ways of making money as there are politicians. In making illegitimate sleaze, all political parties pass the test. May be among Communists there are more people, who could be construed to be upright. Similarly in BJP, number of MLAs, MPs, MLCs who are not making money on the quite, may be m
ore than other political parties. But in all other political parties including regional parties, people with clean image will certainly be there, but shall be few and few between. Of course in Karnataka the first BJP ruled state of South India, according to generally reliable update, the corruption is rather high.That brings us to the modality of making money. We have umpteen mind bogling number of instances, how politicians make money. At one end we have Mr.Clean like Mr. A.K. Antony, the present union defence minister, so also the prime minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, with equally clean slate. Defence being a ministry with huge budgetory allocation, it is eminently possible to make big private gain. Probably it is for the reason of his personal probity that A.K. Antony was the choice of Congress President for the Defence portfolio. Although, it is not always possible to unearth shady deals in a ministry’s expenditure budgets since babus are involved all through the process of disbursal of funds, it can generally be passed off as normal. For example, look at the high road maintenance budget. Just about every year, the roads are repaired, the same stretch year after year, involving thousands of crores of rupees. There are fixed contract rates, and quality inspection being what it is, job is completed and paid for. The whole process is so non –transparent and there is no system of checks, counterchecks and controls to verify, what is the level of "hera – pheri" in awarding the repairs, measurements agreed, measurements executed and measurements billed and paid for. This leaves a whole lot of yawning gaps where pilferage is so very organized it is difficult to suspect and passed off as normal.Now this is only one of the many ways how manipulation is practiced and continued 'bindaas'. However in the case of repairs and maintenance of National highways, the amount involved is very huge and hence the scope to make illegitimate gain from top to bottom is equally very large. Then there are large public works contracts, which could involve most ministries, where again the scope for invisible gain for the people in power is just as huge. We have in our midst large class I PWD contractors, with all kinds of political connections, where politicians and highly placed babus are on the regular payroll of these PWD contractors. For the purpose of record, some paper works are organised to hood-wink the system and auditors, before the contracts are awarded. These contractors fund all activities of these politicians and babus make money out of these contractors by bending the terms of the contracts wherever and whenever possible. The amount of money is generally many times more than what must have been paid to these politicians and babus. Unfortunately in our body-politic every thing is for sale and purchasable. That’s the sad spectacle. Yes. Its true there are one’s like YSR who make money from bigger sources, do not touch smaller sources.
By smaller sources it could mean that schemes meant for Rural Employment Schemes like NREGS. This scheme has huge federal funding and there is enough scope for making money, by giving less money to labourers, recording dummy names, by having jobs recorded but in reality no job was carried out. Because of the size of the budget provision, there is a big scope for diverting funds without raising too many hackles.
Leaders like YSR probably maintained a standard not to syphon funds from such sources meant for poverty elevation programmes. Then you have politicians and babus making money on the sly out of natural disaster relief funds, like PM’s Relief fund or Chief Ministers Relief fund. Many example of this nature can be given. They are like blood sucking leaches. Like the one that happened in Delhi administration, where 3 officials of Delhi Muncipal Corporation, were arrested by ACB some times ago. The three officials were Deputy Commissioner of MCD Sanjay Gihar, who was formerly Joint Director of social welfare department, MJNPadu, Superintendent of Beggers Home and P.Anand Rao, Superintendent of Asha Kiran, a home for mentally retarded. The fraud committed was in the of MCD Sanjay Gihar, who was formerly Joint Director of social welfare department, MJN Padu, Superintendent of Beggers Home and P.Anand Rao, Superintendent of Asha Kiran, a home for mentally retarded. The fraud committed was in the purchase of clothing, bedding and other material required for Children Homes, Home for mentally retarded and for Begger Homes. So, we have Senior government officials making ‘fortune’ out of money meant for beggers and helpless orphans. Aren’t they worst than beggars!
Then there are ministers and their sons and daughters making money in transfers, be it teachers, be it policemen, be it office staff etc. These are exploitational corruption where you are exploiting someone’s helplessness. Even to get some legitimate job done, there are minister’s sons and relatives including some chief minister’s sons, asking for lakhs of rupees. This is very cheap and demeaning.
According to Ms Chowdhary YSR did not indulge in petty corruption. Yes corruption may not be very easy to be eradicated. But can that, at least leave the ordinary citizen, who are without any means, untouched, the YSR way!
I & C Feature
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