International Anti- Corruption Day

On the occasion of the International Anti-Corruption Day, Prayatna, working in the area of good governance through RTI and PIL is also a member of TII (Transparency International India) in collaboration with CRIL(Cell for Research in International Law) in  -National Law Institute University (NLIU) organized an interactive session of eminent personalities with youths from various educational institutions. The program was organized at Swaraj Bhawan on 9^th December 2010 at 3.30 pm. Names such as Shri P.P. Tiwari, Chief Information Commissioner, M.P., Shri Surendra Singh, AGP known for his impeccable reputation, Shri Sanjay Dubey, Shri Sanjay Saxena, Smt. Meera Singh, Shri Vijay Manohar Tiwari  and Shri Ajay Dubey were present at the discussion. 

Sh. Tripathi observed that intellectual integrity is important and economic integrity was merely a result. RTI allows a rational man to figure out whether something has been done honestly or not. A man at a public post should have limited privacy. He felt that corruption could go down by almost 50% if people began to feel that their acts could be exposed. Even if they weren't actually punished, a change in the environment would certainly be brought about. He addressed the students and told them that they should not indulge in it and expose it where ever they find it.

Sh. Surendra Singh elaborated upon attitudinal change which could be both curative and preventive. One should stop blaming and accept that all of us are corrupt because often, when a person is receiving the benefits of corruption, such that his work is being done quickly, he often does not accept it as a manifestation of corruption. He further delved into the mean-end debate in context of today's materialistic world. People should be prepared to not accept a preferential treatment. India has a high population and low resources, therefore, merely relying on enforcement of laws has its limitations. He pointed out that a person could be elected to a public office despite allegations against him if the case was sub-judice. Cases in India often take more than a decade to be resolved. He also spoke about the vehement opposition to the Unique Identification Scheme since it would greatly curb the Benami Corruption. He said that the UID will go a long way in getting rid of this culture which according to him was the bone marrow of corruption.

Sh. Tiwari who is a successful journalist shared his experiences about a certain Bagwar village which was idyllic in nature in terms of complete self-sufficiency and therefore, no scope of corruption.

Sh. P.P. Tiwari, Chief Information Commisioner, Madhya Pradesh spoke of the MGNREGS where maximum corruption could be seen but had not been exposed due to lack of motivation and awareness. He said that the labourers were not getting their dues. Even where the corruption was exposed, no action had been taken. Moreover, RTI applications were often misused as a means of blackmail. He elaborated upon the fallacies of S. 27 and S. 28 of the Right to Information Act, 2005. It is an example of excessive delegated legislation where rules were being made ultra-vires to the main Act. This was ruining the main purpose of the Act. 

Sh. Ajay Dubey further elaborated upon S. 28 of the Act which allowed State Legislatures and High Courts to make rules. He asked a fundamental question whether the state legislatures could alter the very essence of the law made by the Centre. He quoted examples from the Madhya Pradesh scenario where the MP High Court made a rule that Rs. 500 should be paid for RTI on a tender and the State Legislature incorporated rules made by the State under S.8 (which speaks of exemptions from disclosure) of the Act. 

This was followed by a question-answer session where the students posed engaging questions to the information commissioner and former IPS officer as to how to oppose corruption when faced with in daily life. Concluding remarks were delivered by Dr. Arya who thanked all our esteemed guests including students and members of the civil society for making the talk a successful venture.