Corruption in public life in India has today attained such draconian proportions that almost all major government projects in various corners of the country are getting delayed and suffering from massive cost escalations. We have, unfortunately, reached such a sorry state today that people consider corruption a way of life. Even in getting petty routine chores done in government offices, such as getting clearances for constructing a house or getting a driving licence, one has to pay bribes, which does not augur well at all for the development and future of the country.
Therefore, when the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation started its journey, my primary focus was to ensure that my team of engineers and other professionals steered clear of this evil. I knew that if corrupt officials entered DMRC, they would erode the organisation from within.
I also believe that only regular monitoring and taking disciplinary action cannot eradicate corruption entirely. Therefore, I stress on value education for all employees. Whenever an employee joins the DMRC, he is given a copy of the Gita Makaranda, which contains a wonderful treatise on Bhagwad Gita teaching the secrets of leading an honest life. I still read the Gita regularly myself. All the employees are also taught yoga and meditation in the DMRC?s training school at Shastri Park, because a healthy body is an index to a healthy mind.?
I am happy that the DMRC has at least been able to restore some of the confidence that the masses had lost in the public sector. However, it is the responsibility of the entire country today to erase the image of India as a corrupt nation. According to the global watchdog, Transparency International, India ranks a lowly 87th among 178 nations in the world corruption index. Obviously, we have faltered badly, otherwise a great nation like ours with an illustrious history and civilisation would not have reached such a nadir.
I am also presently heading an organisation under the name ?Foundation for Restoration of National Values? (FRNV) as its president. The Foundation is dedicated to creating a more ethical and value-based leadership in all walks of life. Our work is driven by the conviction that leadership with integrity creates the most appropriate conditions in our democracy, for all-round national development, and the good of all.
FRNV has on its advisory board former CJI Justice MN Venkatacha, Ratan Tata, former CVC N Vittal, former CEC TS Krishnamurthy and Vibha Parthasarthi, an educationist and former chairperson, National Commission for Women. Our main concern and attempt is to restore the age-old values and traditions of this country, eradication of corruption and work with the government towards building a value-based society. FRNV conducted a very successful two-day national summit in New Delhi in November, 2008, to arrive at a national thinking and perspective on the value decline in our country and devolve a redressal mechanism for the same. It is on the deliberations in this conference that the FRNV has prioritized the following distinct areas for focus:
* Electoral reforms
* Police reforms
* National value restoration council
* National value education
I am personally of the view that if the people of this country concentrate on the four areas identified by the FRNV, it is possible to create a corruption-free India.
The current scenario of the nation worries me. The corruption allegations against top officials of the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee and the subsequent reports about poor construction quality of some games venues, indeed, dealt a body blow to India?s plans of showcasing the country to the rest of the world during the quadrennial event.
The past few months have witnessed so many scams such as the 2G spectrum scam and the Adarsh Society scandal that the world is today looking at us with suspicion. If India has to realise the long-cherished dream of becoming a developed country, corruption has to be completely removed from the system. The continuous institutionalisation of corruption in the government sector has to be stopped immediately.
To achieve this seemingly impossible goal, the government has to show the necessary political will. They must not only be prepared to punish corrupt bureaucrats and other government officials, they must also be prepared to make political sacrifices and bring to book dishonest politicians. Accountability has to be ascertained at all levels of work, both in the public and private sectors, so that people are scared of indulging in corrupt activities. Unless radical steps are introduced, a solution to this menace seems difficult.
?The writer is MD, DMRC