NISCORT Stands Against Corruption in the Country

NISCORT Stands Against Corruption

(Thomas D’Silva)

Niscort, Feb 4: While the media has unearthed many scams in India, various investigating agencies must book the corrupt and award exemplary punishments and there should be stringent Acts to prevent such frauds, opined  Niscort  while discussing the topic- ‘Scams and Investigations in India’ in the World Around programme here today.

Addressing the staff and students of Niscort,  Vijaymohan Nair, the news bureau chief of Malayalam Manorama and  K.V. Prasad, the Assistant Editor of the Hindu listed chronologically, the series of scams and the loss they have caused to the nation since independence.  The  list was headed by the Jeep Scandal  of 1948 which involved V.K.Krishna Menon, the then Indian High Commissioner in England causing a loss of rupees 8o lakhs and ended with the 2G Spectrum Scam that  looted a whopping 1.76 lakh crores.

The last scam is termed as ‘mother of all scams’ and “has caused intense political debate in the country”, said Mr. Nair. Of course the former Telecom Minister A.Raja and two of his associates have been arrested by the Central Investigating Agency (CBI) in this connection. And the Supreme Court has been closely monitoring the investigations.

Both the speakers pointed out a pattern of repetition of scams like: fictitious companies in case of Haridas Mundra scam of 1957 and Swan Telecom company in 2G scam in 2010, Jeep Scandal of 1948 and Bofors Scandal of 1986 or HDW Submarine case, Security Scam involving Harshad Mehta in 1992 and Security Scam by Ketan Pareek in 2001, etc. “While history repeats itself, we have not learnt lessons”, felt Mr. Nair.

Scams being the abuse of public power for private gain, the involvement of ministers, MPs, MLAs, Government Officers and Bureaucrats, and even Judges have cropped up in the course of investigations. Saddening to note that two of the former Prime Ministers: Rajiv Gandhi in Bofors Scandal and P.V. Narasimha Rao in JMM Bribery Case were also named in the FIR. Though several ministers have been charge sheeted, so far only Sukh Ram in Telecom Scam and Kalpnath Rai in Sugar Import Case have been convicted by the court.

Even prior to independence in 1935 Mahatma Gandhi had declared, “I would go to the length of giving the whole Congress a decent burial rather than put up with the corruption that is rampant.” India ranks 87 out of 187 nations in Corruption Perception Index (CPI). Though there is a strict law in Prevention of Corruption Act (1988), investigating bodies like: Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), CBI and other Commissions of Inquiry and Parliamentary Commissions, yet there has been rampant corruption.

Mr. Prasad appreciated the role played by media as whistle blowers. He made a special mention of Vineet Narayan of the daily- ‘kaal chakra’, who exposed Jain Hawala Scam, Satyendra Dubey who pointed out the gross irregularities in National Highway Scheme and Chitra Subramaniyam of ‘the Hindu’ who opened the lid off Bofors Scam. But there has been consistent effort to silence the media as Mr. Dubey was killed and the whereabouts of Mr. Narayan and Ms. Subramaniyam are not known!

Unfortunately, the recent involvement of some reputed journalists in the Radiagate has put a question mark on the credibility of the media as the ‘watchdog’ and the ‘fourth estate’. “Politicians are the important sources of information for the media. But there is a line of integrity and loyalty to your profession, which cannot be transgressed”, cautioned Mr. Prasad. While media keeps a watch over scam and exposes the corrupt it should be vigilant lest the lure of the riches may mire its enduring image!