Corruption in India - Santhanam Committee Report

 In general, corruption is a form of dishonesty or criminal activity undertaken by a person or organization entrusted with a position of authority, often to acquire illicit benefit.In a latest Corruption Perception Index, India was ranked at 81st position out of 180 countries by Transparency International, reflecting high opacity and secrecy in functioning of government.

The Santhanam Committee Report (1964) identified four major causes of corruption, namely-

• Government taking upon itself more than what it could manage by way of regulatory functions,
• scope for personal discretion in the exercise of powers vested in different categories of Govt. servants and
• Cumbersome procedures in dealing with various matters which were of importance to citizens in their day to day affairs.

Potential Areas of Corruption, viz.-

• Procurement is a vast area ranging from procurement of store materials & services to execution of infrastructure projects.
• Sale of Goods & Services along with allocation of scarce and / or precious natural resources is an area of corruption.
• Human resource management is common to all organisations and the processes relating to recruitment, promotion, transfer and posting are prone to manipulation and corruption.
• Delivery of services to public although not common to all Public Service Sectors.
• Enforcement of Acts, Rules and Regulations is also an area vulnerable to corruption mainly due to lack of awareness among citizens and ineffective grievance redressal mechanism.

 Ways to tackle corruption:-

• Simplification and standardization of rules by undertaking a complete review of existing rules and regulations. It will improve clarity and accountability and eliminate discretion and arbitrariness, thus reducing corruption.
• Leveraging technology  such as E-procurements, E-payments, websites for dissemination of information and creating awareness, CCTV in places of public dealing, GPS enabled devices / RFIDs, computer assisted audit techniques for detecting frauds etc.
• Transparency, Accountability & Awareness Transparency removes the information gap between the public and public officials which in turn reduces corruption. A system with clear accountability along with effective time bound punitive action in case of misconduct is necessary for smooth functioning & efficiency. Also, Public officials should be made aware of their duties and responsibilities, code of conduct, rules, procedures etc.
• Control & Supervision: Regular and routine inspections, surprise inspections, audit and reviews keep a check on aberrant and corrupt behavior. Also, early detection of misconducts may enable recouping the loss and facilitate control of further damage
• Conducive work environment - includes identification of sensitive posts and keeping a person with integrity at such posts, protection to whistleblowers etc.
• Inculcating moral values - Inculcating ethical behaviour among public, particularly the younger generation is an important tool of preventive vigilance
•  Integrity pact - a written agreement between Government/Government Department/ Government Company, etc. and all the bidders agreeing to refrain themselves from bribery, collusion, etc. It is implemented by CVC and sanctions are applied on violation of the pact. It is monitored through CVC nominated IEM (Independent External Monitor).
• Integrity Index (to be introduced shortly) Through this CVC will bring out annual scores/rankings of public sector undertakings, financial institutions, departments and ministries by linking the essential drivers of vigilance with long-term efficiency, profitability and sustainability of public organisations. It will be based on bench marking internal processes and controls within an organisation as well as management of relationship and expectation of outside stake holders.

 Prevention of corruption(Amendment) Act 2018 is commendable step to confront the menace of corruption in India. 

By: ABHISHEK KUMAR GARG