M A I N   N E W S

Govt to babus: Show zero tolerance to graft
Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 14
Fed up with being repeatedly rated as the worst and most corrupt bureaucracy in Asia, the government has finally cracked the whip on civil servants and asked them to “refurbish” their image. The job of sending out the advisory has fallen on India’s top bureaucrat, Cabinet Secretary KM Chandrashekhar, who, in a letter to all secretaries of the central government and chief secretaries of the states, has sought implementation of zero tolerance to corruption fully and effectively.

The message to bureaucrats, in the wake of recent scams involving civil servants, is clear-an image makeover needed. Chandrashekhar has asked his colleagues to speed up disciplinary proceedings against those found guilty of corruption so that the issue is addressed “fairly and squarely”.

The Cabinet Secretary’s letter comes after the Centre constituted a high-level group headed by him for speedy scrutiny of complaints against secretaries to the government. Data reveal that over 54 vigilance cases were registered last year against civil servants in India - 35 against IAS officers, 10 against IPS and nine against IFS officers. Last year, the number of cases was 50.

The government’s move further seems inspired by its increasing consciousness of India’s image abroad. At a time when the economy is being opened up further and foreign investment sought, bureaucratic corruption is stifling India’s prospects.

Chandrashekhar’s letter says, “Of late, there have been some disturbing incidents which call for serious introspection by civil servants. It is important that we ponder over the manner in which we discharge our duties and fulfil our responsibilities and what we need to do to refurbish our image.”

Globally, India continues to be ranked poorly, securing the 85th position out of 179 nations in the Transparency International’s latest corruption perception index. Another study by the Political and Economic Risk Consultant on bureaucracy in Asia showed that while respondents were the happiest with the civil servants in Singapore, they were the unhappiest in India.

World Bank experts have also summarised why investors shy away from Indian markets. They say it can take 30 days to start a new business in India, 45 days to register properly, 244 days to obtain permits and 10 years to resolve burdens. No wonder India ranks 169 out of 181 nations in terms of tax burden measured by the number of payments a businessman must make and the time he must spend fulfilling bureaucratic formalities.

That explains the urgency in Chandrashekhar’s letter: “Preventive vigilance should be strengthened. Transparency must be introduced in decision-making and in all our systems. Stringent action must be taken against officers found guilty. Disciplinary proceedings must be expedited. We need to stand by and uphold our core values. Senior officers must set an example and mentor their colleagues. The civil services must work wholeheartedly to provide good governance.”