"Why, for a Class of Bribes, the Act of Giving a Bribe should be Treated as Legal" is an article written by The Chief Economic Adviser to the Ministry of Finance, Government of India,Kaushik Basu..According to the article, Dr.Basu thinks that the corrupt practice of bribery can be reduced by legalizing "Giving a bribe" and double penalizing taking one. There have also been various articles in news media supporting this idea.
But I think, If we legalize "Giving a bribe" , then the law will give all legal rights and protection to all those people who have enough money-to let some cash flow out into officer's pockets-for escaping from the legal punishments when they are caught in -illegal/rules breaking- incidents. They will be allowed legally to cash out of violation of rules without any hesitation or fear, while trying to offer money. The article also talks about breaking the trust between the bribe givers and bribe takers and the scenario describing a bribe giver using secret camera and this rule to record the officer accepting the bribe, which seems very unrealistic to me, for the fact that for a common man to gain access to such technology ( like a secret cam ? ) is first of all economically not viable for everyone to use and learning to use it is another constrain and certainly appears to be a cinema scenario rather than-one happening in day-to-day life. It will be really great if such expertise training is offered to one and all and certainly this idea might work perfect.
I would argue that to a certain extent legalizing might seem reasonable if both giving and accepting bribes-were legalized , Like how "betting" is legalized in some countries, whereas, it is illegal in India. But this article talks about legalizing the act of giving the bribe. I can only see this option of legalizing of giving a bribe, doing more harm - than the good it might do for the country. For a problem like corruption-bribery, it should be treated from the roots.
According to my opinion, the way to move forward is to make people aware of their rights. What they can do-to get their work done. With the RTI now in action, No officer can delay the process of documentation in any government agency and at any time, one can exercise their right to know the status of their work and can go to higher authorities if the work is being delayed for the reason of not offering a bribe. For example, you can always file an RTI to know the status of your passport application. This is just one of the means that comes into my mind and the even more realistic step according to me is to expect a change in ten years from now, and can only be achieved if we made sure that all the "children of today" know /realize/ understand that the act of bribery is not a legitimate practice and that money should be earned and not sucked from other people's hard work and blood.
The right way is education.” Educate to eradicate bribery & Educate to eradicate poverty"
Legalized :Bribery ? :-/ is my response to an article that I read today.
Here is the link to the article : http://finmin.nic.in/WorkingPaper/Act_Giving_Bribe_Legal.pdf
This blog entry is an appeal to all the protesters on the roads of India who are fighting for a change.
As I decided to write this appeal to all the people protesting on the roads of India at this moment, I began to think about how to start my appeal letter. Whether it is supposed to be addressed as “to all Anna Hazare supporters” or “to all Anti corruption movement volunteers” or “to all supporters of Jan lok pal bill”. The Anti corruption protest volunteers is very apt right now for a reason that the people of India have become frustrated and are desperate for a change and wish to see a corruption free India for which they have taken to the roads demanding a change and not exactly for the bill. they assume "the bill" is a path to their destination,A panacea.As I look at the news about the things happening around India, The Team Anna Hazare has support of the public who want corruption to end but these supporters are not exactly for the bill they are putting forth. It is indeed a misconception if anyone feels that the people on the roads are actually protesting for the bill, instead they are out there for a corruption free India. And the Team Anna Hazare has to be applauded for being successfully able to channelize the anger and patriotism of the public into a form of support for their bill. I am confident enough to quote that not more than 10 % of people protesting on the roads even know the broad sense of the bill they are marching for , leave alone being aware about the minute details that could have a deep affect on their daily lives. They just want corruption to end. That is their motto and that is their ultimate goal, to have a better life in India. But, one must understand that, mere forming of a bill doesn’t end the age long culture of corruption. Let’s consider for example the problems of Traffic or problems relating to society which should have ceased long ago, had mere forming of rules and bills had profound effect on the way of thinking of people. It’s more about traffic sense and social responsibilities when it comes to curbing the problems I mentioned above, and Courage and willingness to take our country forward as an entire nation is what is required to fight corruption. I strongly believe in our country's democracy and have faith in our parliament. I know we have faced charges of corruption but parliament is something that is sacred to our nation. For, it is the place where decisions regarding our nation’s development are taken and the people whom we elect participate in with our hopes and goals. I agree that in a democracy, a citizen has a right to give his opinions about the proceedings in the country and has a right to express his views but to compel parliament to pass a bill formulated by Anna Hazare with in a stipulated amount of time is senseless when there are in fact various versions of lokpal prepared by other social anti corruption activists. Well at the end of the day, it is the parliament whom we will end up blaming, if anything goes wrong to us and our nation through this bill after it is passed in haste, as demanded right now, as they are responsible and answerable to us.
Hence, here goes my letter.
My fellow Indians and Anti corruption protest volunteers,
For now, we the people should first realize the difference between supporting Anti corruption movement and Supporting Jan Lokpal bill & Team Anna Hazare . Understand the direction in which we are moving by these protests , insist the government to consider the bills prepared by Anna Hazare’s team, Aruna Roy’s team and formulate a bill that is suitable for our nation and that which will not put our constitutionally guaranteed rights at stake.
We don’t need a second Independence, India is already an independent country. We want independence from social problems and poverty in our country. We want democracy to sustain in our nation. We don’t want or need Anarchy.
When the countries of the world were choosing sides between the two major super powers, a nation in the Southeast Asia was taking shape. With Peaceful and non violent protests as her weapons she marched towards her destiny, The Independence. 15th of August 1947, India won her Independence from the colonial rule. Hence formed a nation which during the course of time overcomes various hurdles to reach the place where she is today, a nation that can influence the world in all aspects of society, from economy to culture. India which was predicted to be down & broken within no time after her Independence by the who’s and who of the world , showed its strong willpower and courage to stand by her principles by not aligning into either of the two super powers at that time and continued its journey towards development as an Independent nation. India took the path of democracy and is celebrated today around the world as the largest democracy and an example to many other nations around the world.
Each year, Independence Day is celebrated all over the country and the heroes of the struggle are remembered and paid respect for their sacrifices to the country. Independence Day celebrations compel me to think how independent we really are of the problems that have been tied to India since years. Let’s take this auspicious occasion to also remember the challenges and problems we face this day as a nation and recollect the dream our freedom fighters had for the nation and where we are in the course of fighting these problems. 64 years into Independence, India still faces challenges, some of which have been with her since 15th of august 1947 and some fresh new ones. I decided to name a few in this blog post.
1)Food, Fuel & Population: The food inflation today is high, close to double figures again, which with the ever rising prices of food make the life of the common man difficult in these days. The reasons for this may be attributed mainly to a high population growth rate and also a downfall in agricultural production. The downfall in agricultural production may be attributed to the little use of technology and minimum awareness amongst the farmers and little support from the government to farmers. Added to this is the heavy rise in fuel prices which also contribute to the food prices hike. Awareness about population control and its effects is one of the possible solutions to these problems.
2)Women & Society: This day,we have women holding the top ranks in various government & private institutions but simultaneously on the other hand , we still have women being subjected to oppression & crimes .The fact that the practices like dowry system and other caste related social crimes are still persistent in India makes me wonder how backward as a society we have become after 64 years of Independence. Nation is regarded as our Mother and Respect to women is the essence of our culture. We should let there be equality and let everyone live peacefully. The other major drawback in the society is the exploitation of the common man in the name of god and then establishment of groups of religious wings which is not a practice prescribed for a secular country like India. There should certainly be awareness about this aspect and we should come out of this practice of blind faith for a better nation .
3)Security: The most important aspect for a prosperous country is security. Internal and international. The border issues with Pakistan and China are certainly one of those issues which should be solved sooner than later for good to the world & our contry. Added to this is the cross border infiltration of Anti social activists and security lapses which results in chaos,explosions & destruction every now and then that disrupt the peace & harmony in the nation. Added to this are the in state self trained military, anti-government naxalites, (who are fighting for the cause of liberating the tribes and poor farmers from the oppression and lead lives of extreme poverty and forgotten even after years of Independence), have a strong foothold all along the entire east coast of the nation. All these are woes to the nation. There is a constant war between the Police and Naxalites in these areas which is a bother to public who is caught in between this violence exchange.
4)Culture Corruption: India has picked up a culture of corruption. In recent times there have been various instances where various crowds from the government servants to civil servants to defense personnel to media have been involved in acts of greed. The resultant distrust on the government servants amongst the citizens of the nation gave rise to supporters of Anti Corruption law throughout the country. At present, the disagreement between these civil society representatives and the public elected representatives to reach to a common decision point seems to result nothing but disruption of the everyday life of the common man.
5)States of uncertainty: Jammu Kashmir is one place which has been under unrest ever since Independence. The constant clash between the separatists and their counterparts has left the beautiful valley in chaos. Added to this is the rise of protests in states like Andhra Pradesh demanding a bifurcation of the state and the demand for Ghorkaland etc etc is making the government struggle to maintain peace in these places. And this has been hampering the development in these places and India as a country.
6)Crisis, Ruling Crisis: The problems mentioned above and various others which have been building up on our nation have left the ruling government without any answers and have been deprived of trust of the public. The inefficiency to control protests & lack of ability to give a credible answer to the public is a negative for democracy. Also, the lack of a strong opposition party in the nation also adds to the woes of the situation. There isn’t any credible, able, party visible in the near future to take up the office. This is definitely unhealthy for democracy and something that fears me along with other citizens of the country.
These are a few of various things that trouble our nation. Yet, our nation stands strong. It stands as an example of the secular nation, celebrating various cultures and religions in one place. The unity when it comes to dealing problems or celebrating festivals and occasions makes the India a special place.
The solution to all these problems is education of the masses-which is not a solution that can be done over a week’s time or lesser but the education of masses will give the masses a voice. This gives an advantage through awareness while they say their voice during the democratic practice of elections. This will make sure the right one takes the office and makes right decisions for the nation. For now, those in the office should take a thought and help make our country a better one than it already is. Let us take this holiday to think about these problems once again which have been troubling us since a long time. The government and public should act together for solving these issues. A mere blog post can never solve the problems that are decades old. But a though about them before a loud celebration may help in solving them.
It is true that no nation in this world is a perfect one but desiring to be perfect is the first step towards achieving the dream “utopia” and Let me Wish you a happy Independence Day because we should definitely celebrate Independence Day and also strive for independence from the problems of our nation.
Fast for a cause-Article 19 of the Indian constitution gives its citizens, the right to freedom of expression and speech, the right to go on a hunger strike as a mode of expressing their dissent over unlawful acts or injustice in the country.
India has witnessed numerous incidents protests via fast for, a purpose, achieving democracy and independence pre independence, to stand against various instances of unruly actions of the government since independence.
Recent developments in the country, needless to mention about the shameful acts, like the looting of public funds and vandalizing the hopes of people, have made the people restless and desperate for a change to see a clean society. This gave the social activists fighting for lokpal bill, a bill that is designed to attack anyone who is guilty of corruption irrespective of their wealth/power and other virtues which make the law disabled to bring them to justice, a chance to put forward their movement into limelight in hope to get the long awaited lokpal bill passed-which one the flip side is a bit over reaching than it is supposed to and also undemocratic in some ways and loosely flawed which could be corrected to match and benefit a democratic country like ours. In this scenario to start debates for setting up lokpal bill a fast-unto death-protest was under taken by Shri Anna Hazare during early 2011 which was welcomed with huge reception by the Indian crowd including over the internet. The talks began and ended in despair as the two teams, government & social activists, failed to come to a conclusion over the bill.
Now what Anna Hazare has done unknowingly in this process of protesting is that he has sparked off a trend in the society. Trends which like a medicine can turn harmful when taken without a prescription and even poisonous when in overdoses. Immediately after the talks broke for Lokpal raised into limelight the yoga guru of India, Baba Ramdev and sparked a controversy when he narrated his plans to build an army against the Indian state. Then the infamous fast by Tinku urging the government to give him admission into IITs.
The support to fasts by Anna Hazares and Ramdevs may be attributed largely to the lost hopes of people over the government and partly to the media. The media on the same lines can be blamed for being biased, not many people are even aware of the 10 year old -still ongoing- fast by Irom Sharmila fighting for removal of arms act from Manipur or about the 115 day old fast which ended in death of the protester for saving river Ganga,Swami Nigamananda.
Now what I fear from the most is that this phenomenon of picking up fasts for every desire on mind and expecting positive results in return may actually demean the respect protest via fast has earned till date. Even more than this, the wide range of unrest that is created by these fasts have an impact on the life of a common man. As I quote “a common middle class man may afford losing money from his pocket without his knowledge but cannot tolerate losing his daily bread. Even worse the government may rule out protests like these as attempting to committing suicide as mandated under the Indian Penal Code and cease them permanently which is again undemocratic and leads to unrest .
With continued protests and threats like these which results in building unrest amongst the people ,halt the progress of the nation and destabilize the society and may actually lead to downfall of democracy and state which is totally unnecessary for a country like India. Instead I would recommend the protesters for Lokpal to either build a bill that is feasible and ready to adapt to Indian democracy or to contest in the coming elections and lead a party to change the society in a more democratic manner rather than what is happening now. And for the government I urge them to open their eyes to work efficiently and effectively to curb any further corruption. Overall it is a vicious circle.
The Indian political system, with its flexibility to accommodate any number of contestants in an election, is one of the most amazing systems when compared with other leading systems all over the world. It redefines the meaning of democracy by providing an opportunity to the voter-public-to choose their best from the lot to represent them.
Politics, The art or science of government or governing, especially the governing of a political entity, such as a nation, and the administration and control of its internal and external affairs (obtained from Dictionary.com), was supposedly derived from the word Politic meaning Artful, Wise, Sagacious etc is received by the public of India and almost all students as an occupation that is due to all negative impression.
Sadly, these days the term Politics is widely used these days between common public as a means to offend someone or used as a remark to identify petty tricks or back biting employed by someone.
What about the politics or politicians of India that makes us all draw conclusions which are always against the very system of it?
Some days ago, I was in a discussion with my friends regarding their opinions on politics and the discussion spurred up various sensible points which I want to mention in this article. Also, some valid Inputs from some of the recent articles that I read about our Indian political system along with few questionnaires I shot at people around me along with above mentioned situations, all of which led me to some viewpoints which I would want to mention in this article.
During the era of Independence, India possessed leaders or politicians, who took up the arena with the solo motto to serve the mother nation and stood as an example for the coming generations to look ahead into the prospects of serving the nation by taking up politics. Be it leaders like Nehru, who was our first prime minister who was known for his charismatic abilities to project India as one of the important nations of the world or his team’s ability to keep India away from signing treaties with any of the two super power blocks that were at cold war during that time, or be it Sardar Patel who was instrumental in unifying India as it stands now. The list could go on and on and it comes as no exaggeration if I quote them as the inspirations even now for the future aspirant politicians of India.
But at these days, We hardly notice anyone who actually works for people or anyone who took up politics for the very purpose of serving the public but yes, few exceptions are very visible, well that is how the nature works. No condition is ideal or 100% to its definition be it in a negative or positive sense.
First, starting with the current politicians, what would have led them to take up politics? The easy money that could be taken, so their families and generations to come live comfortable life? Or the power that comes as an attachment of respect and do-whatever-you like privileges? Or the dream of establishing their own statues all over their region of ruling? Or the freedom to propagate their religion? What is their driving force towards the scene? Well, except a few here and there, for others who are around, I don’t see any other reasons than stated above, for taking up politics.
The article which I read recently mentioned something regarding the expulsion of Shashi tharoor, a successful professional from the Indian politics and how a common employee-turned politician Rajiv Gandhi faced strict opposition in the field of politics when he entered into the arena. I began to wonder, why on earth isn’t there room for normal people in the politics. We all know about the party set up by the alumni of IIT’s that stood nowhere in the scenario of the political system. Also the failure of Loksatta party (Andhrapradesh, India) , led by an ex-IAS officer Jayaprakash Narayana and few other examples here and there everywhere, are all solidifying the argument that there isn’t any room for normal people into the field of politics. And for that matter, the movies always portray politicians as villains who chase the hero and in return get beaten black and blue. Well, Movies are stories picked up from reality and the daily blame-games played by politicians and their unruly debates and discussions in the decision making houses and their ever growing properties- do force any common man to take up this views.
The politicians, not all but, those who are spreading the wrong impression, should clean up their acts and keep them intact as they are the living examples for coming generations to encourage them to take up politics. The advent of new clean politicians will only help clean the system by driving out the corrupt and unwanted politicians.
The politics should be for those people or leaders who want to serve the people and benefit people and for those ambitious people who dream for a nation that is uniform all across the society in economic and social growth.
So what went into our system that makes us conclude in such an arrogant way about our leaders? And it is highly shocking to note that even after knowing about what is happening around us like what I stated till now, we end up choosing the same leaders again and again with our voting power. In a democracy, the existence of tainted leaders in the political system should be credited or blamed on the public.i.e.we, you and me. But the fact that a huge percentage of voters are uneducated and they always fall prey to the lucrative speeches these politicians make just before the elections.
So at the end, it all zero’s down to education. Education of the people,the common man. Education leads to increase in the awareness of what is going around the country and the system and also makes one realize his/her own rights provided by the constitution and would alert all voters and citizens and in turn make them become choosy about selecting their leaders whom they would want to be governing them and this entire process would also keep politicians on a check.
Educate to Eradicate Poverty-Educate to clean up Politics.
Always remember, it’s you and me-together-can bring a change.
This article is with reference to the recent ’’ bharat bandh’’ that took place on the 5th of July 2010 in protest to the hike of petrol and diesel fuel prices. The poster reasons for the bandh were obviously the poor and middle class citizens but let’s analyze how beneficial it actually was to them and how successful it was at the end of the day.
According to me, the so-called projected benefiters were the actual sufferers during the bandh day. This conclusion will also reflect to the numerous bandhs that have taken place and to those infinity bandhs that are on their way to the people.
Briefly, A bandh ,is supposedly ,an united protest by the people all over the country in which people them self cease all their works in order to raise voice and throw a say that they aren’t willingly liking the action taken by the government or that they intend a change for the easy progress of the nation.
To start with during the bandh day, 5th of July 2010, in Visakhapatnam, The rain was pouring all through the day and with the given conditions of the tempered roads, the mobility across the city was becoming all too difficult and added to it all the public transport was stranded and there weren't any auto rickshaws or even local buses that commute people from one place to any desired location as per bandh protocol. Also added to it were the The Activists : The so-called, pro people-pro-Bandh-Pro People well wishers and anti-price hike, dawned in their political party colours, were flourishing all over the city roads , waving their flags and shouting all their way-for reduction of the prices of petrol. Added to this, They were also forcing people and others, who were commuting between their destinations and running their own private business as per their own fundamental rights, to shut down their works and head back home, Which is against democracy and the fundamental rights provided by the constitution to the people and I am sure there isn’t any so called- bandh protocol-that can overcome these rights but everyone keeps succumbs to the bandh protocol which is very interesting to note.
As I was wandering across the city along with my friends Alex and Vamsi, in an attempt to fetch some cash from the ATM and convert it to a Demand Draft, so the later friend can acquire his long awaited admission into his dream B school. Thanks to his luck, He is currently pursuing his studies in the very B school to which we were supposed to post the Demand Draft the same day, though all the attempts went futile for that day, thanks to the activists who managed to sneak into the bank just as he was about to transform his cash into Demand draft and would have managed to get it done, had he been at the bank with the money fifteen minutes earlier but again, Thanks to our own activists, as they managed to get my friend along with few other public stuck in an ATM booth for quite some time while he was attempting to with draw money from there. We went around the city for not less than 5 hours –from one bank to-almost all the banks –all across the city, calling it a day only after we were assured that the activists have managed to shut down the city and country to a pause.
Indeed a great Job, Ain’t it? They almost got a well deserved-future-earning citizen of the country from losing his path towards his dream and at this point it insists me to wonder, How many other students all across India were put into trouble this way and how many have the activists managed to axe down in life quest and in turn turning them to frustrated anti social elements? Well this very thought assures great kudos to the great activists and their Bandh. Likewise, how many sick people must have been prevented from reaching hospitals and service centres due to stoppage of public transport and fears of vehicles being thrashed by the activists. How many lives must have the bandh taken toll of? All across the nation, the bandh could have successfully managed to cut down the population in some minute percentage at least.
As we move on from one department to another, I can only see more of harm caused to the average middle class rather than good that was actually intended to be done. We, while moving across banks, witnessed so many people standing-getting drenched-in rain, waiting for any damn transport to reach home and escape from the bandh chaos.
Needless to mention, the loss of crores of rupees that was caused to various departments like for example the state road transport services due to null operations and also infrastructure loss from the busses that got burnt to ashes-probably -as a style statement by the bandh activists, But these departments have their own ways to recover their losses, by levying extra charge on tickets which again mount on the pressures already on the average middle class families. And the heavy infrastructure loss that is gained by our activists by damaging whatever they see on the roads and again, who is going to pay for all these loses? The public taxes, i.e. we the common middle class people again. I wonder what motivates them to take violent paths causing trouble to common man-fighting for the common man, while quoting Gandhi as their role model for one and all purposes.
The common middle class man becomes a toy between the political parties, who is played and fiddled with by both ruling and opposition for their benefit and greed to acquire power. The activists, The tools they employ in these games , only few of them realise that they too fall in to the middle class family and at the end of the day, they are the ones who are doing extra work and payments to recover the loses they causes. The politicians forget that they are working for people-if they weren’t working for money-if only they aren’t-but I am sure as much as you are- they are all-except for a few they are working for that –only-only and only for money.
Now we see, after months had gone by after the protest, We see that the common man has moved ahead with the price hikes and the government is moving ahead in thinking of levying extra charges but the bandh hasn’t caused any good rather than only harm and harm from all over
I Wonder what the upper and lower houses of representatives if for-if the issues pertaining to public life are to be debated and decided by means of bandhs which are even more harmful than the cause of bandhs. Only way out is to SAY NO TO USELESS BANDHS called on by political leaders - and instead follow powerful & peaceful protests if the issue is indeed demanding and needs to be fought for protecting our lives and our rights provided by the constitution of India.
Educate to Eradicate Poverty: it’s only when you and me are ‘together’ –we can bring a change
"Why, for a Class of Bribes, the Act of Giving a Bribe should be Treated as Legal" is an article written by The Chief Economic Adviser to the Ministry of Finance, Government of India,Kaushik Basu..According to the article, Dr.Basu thinks that the corrupt practice of bribery can be reduced by legalizing "Giving a bribe" and double penalizing taking one. There have also been various articles in news media supporting this idea. 
