The elusive cure for graft, search goes on
Reviewed by KK Garg & RS Bains

Ending Corruption? How to Clean up India
By N.Vittal. 
Penguin Books. Pages 264. Rs 499

today, corruption and India has become synonymous with each other. Few civil servants in recent times have raised their voice against it. One of them is former Central Vigilance Commissioner N.Vittal. Through this book, the former CVC has lent his powerful voice against corruption of the civil services, judiciary, big business and politicians. He does not mention the routine corruption of the Collector's office or extortion that is going on in every police station.

The theme of the book is ambitious, starting from diagnosis to evolving a line of treatment for cure. For diagnosis, he uses the analogy of medical science and for the cure he suggests the engineering approach of predictive and preventive action and for design Servomechanism.

The author describes corruption in its broadest sense, as lack of integrity —intellectual, moral and financial. When integrity fails, society collapses. Corruption is against national interest, the poor, and development, feels the author but most of the cases cited in the book relates to financial corruption.

Observing the recent mega scams involving every organ of our democracy, he terms it as AIDS and not cancer, and warns the readers that it is attacking the immune system of the body which may lead to multiple-organ failure.

The first part of the book deals with analysis of the malady and to evolve a line of treatment. The second part deals with the corruption within and between vital organs of the Republic; legislature, bureaucracy, judiciary, media and the corporate sector. The last part deals with prescription which may cure. The sweeping observations of the author on India's historical corruption are not accurate.

The author feels it was the first Prime Minister Nehru who failed to instill the importance of ethics in public life unlike the first president of the USA and later blames the most powerful Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi who expressed her helplessness saying that it is a global phenomenon. He feels that corruption flourishes because our system is designed to encourage it

Bribe givers and bribe takers should be punished equally says the author, while he fails to distinguish between bribe seekers, takers, and extortionists and further fails to distinguish between the choice of a bribe receiver and compulsion of a bribe giver.

The book turns out to be more of a running commentary. He hopes that NGOs become the fifth pillar of democracy. He lauds the efforts of Anna but feels Lokpal is not the solution. He hopes that we will be able to fight this AIDS successfully.

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