The Hindu : No new laws needed to tackle graft: Shekhawat

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Saturday, Jan 18, 2003

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No new laws needed to tackle graft: Shekhawat

By Our Special Correspondent

The Vice-President, Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, (second from right) talking to the Karnataka Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, at the inauguration of the Seventh All-India Lokayuktas/ Lokpals/ Upa-Lokayuktas Conference - 2003 in Bangalore on Thursday. Others seen (from left) are Justice Faizanuddin, president, All-India Association of Lokayuktas/ Lokpals/ Upa-Lokayuktas, and the Karnataka Governor, T.N. Chaturvedi. — Photo: K. Gopinathan

BANGALORE JAN. 17. The Vice-President, Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, on Friday made a plea for erasing the dubious distinction the country had of having a high rate of corruption, high incidence of AIDS, widespread poverty, having a large number of disabled persons, etc,.

Inaugurating the two-day seventh All-India Conference of Lokayuktas, Lokpals, and Upalokayuktas (ombudsmen), he expressed disappointment that the Lokayuktas, who spoke earlier, said that the institution was not successful. He said the laws to tackle corruption were adequate and no new laws were required. The Lokayuktas sought the adoption of a model and uniform Lokayukta law all over the country.

Terming as ``international propaganda'' the negative attributes in the report of a survey published in a magazine, he questioned the veracity of the claim that Rs. 26,000 crores was being exchanged as bribe in the country.

Mr. Shekhawat stressed the need for good governance, public vigilance, and accountability on the part of those in the Government to tackle graft. Corruption had not spared even the judiciary. He regretted the poor state the public distribution system was in.

There was also the view that only lower level officials, such as village accountants, were being arrested for corruption and not those at the top, he said.

It was often being stated that only three persons occupying high positions had been convicted and sentenced for corruption in the country. A radical change in the mindset of the people towards bribe and a movement against it was needed.

Mr. Shekhawat said the country had the Central Vigilance Commissioner, Lokayuktas in the States, and Vigilance Departments in some of the States. What was required was the will to take on corruption.

Earlier, the president of the newly-formed Association of Lokayuktas, Faizanuddin, who is Lokayukta of Madhya Pradesh, said that those in authority had a poor record in acting on the reports of Lokayuktas. No action had been taken on implementing the Model Lokayukta Bill.

The Prime Minister, A.B.Vajpayee, while inaugurating the previous conference in Delhi in January 2001, had said, "corruption should quit India". Unfortunately no efforts in that direction were discernable, he said.

Except 16 States, the others had not appointed Lokayuktas. Even among the States that had Lokayukta Acts, Haryana had repealed the relevant Act, and Orissa had allowed the post of Lokayukta to remain vacant.

The Karnataka Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, said the State had in its own way provided institutional safeguards to check corruption such as adoption of the Right to Information Act and the Transparency in Public Procurement in Goods and Services Act. The civil service and the Ministers, including him, were under the purview of the Lokayukta.

The Karnataka Governor, T.N. Chaturvedi, said pro-active Lokayuktas were needed and the Karnataka Lokayukta, N. Venkatachala, was one of them.

The Lokayukta of Rajasthan, Milap Chand Jain, stressed the need for adopting Central legislation on Lokayukta. As a result of the resolution passed by the previous conference held in Delhi, Lokayuktas had been appointed in Assam, Bihar, and Punjab.

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