Public Interest Foundation – Recommendations On Systematic Reforms For Public Good
In 2013 PIF published its report titled Systematic Reforms For Public Good. This report was compiled after painstaking effort by an eminent group headed by the late, Naresh Chandra JI who chaired the governing council of PIF. The PIF
governing council also included former RBI governor Dr Bimal Jalan, famed journalist B G Verghese, former Chief Secretary of Delhi Mrs Shailaja Chandra, industrialists Harsh Vardan Neotia and Suresh Neotia as well CII mentor Mr Tarun
Das.Senior IAS retiree and a former secretary Mr Anil Kumar was advisor and Mr Nipendra Misra presently with the PM, was director of PIF at the time. They were assisted by an excellent team of researchers and admin staff.
PIF set out to identify why our governance is in a poor state and what can be done to set it right. The report presents the findings of this study and recommendations on corrective steps.The overriding sense
from this report is that there are two key aspects which influence & result in decline of governance.
a) There are in excess of 30% self-declared criminals amongst our legislators and this figure is not diminishing. Our law making bodies must be cleansed of law breakers.
b) Corruption has a debilitating effect on the functioning of our democracy. It must be checked. Corruption and criminality amongst legislatures are intrinsically linked.
The report identified a number of systemic reforms that are needed to eradicate these two cancers, in order to make governance work for the benefit of the citizen at large; not for just a privileged few, who have access to corridors of power and are able to work around, unlike the ordinary citizen.
What is deduced from the report is that there are four key drivers which influence:
Need For Transparency In Governance
Every aspect of state functioning must be transparent, and all bodies set up provide checks and balances must be made truly independent, as envisaged by the creators of our Constitution.
The appointment of all state functionaries be they civil servants, senior judges, investigative or enforcement agencies e.g. CVC/ CBI or even such ‘independent’ bodies such as Election Commissioners should be bereft of political influence and be able to work without interference by the government of the day.
The entire process of procurement and public spending needs to be transparent and open to public scrutiny and audit, with the exception of state security matters.
Governance Should Be Citizen Centric
Citizen should be empowered as the primary stakeholder in the entire process of delivery of services and as the rightful recipient of social and judicial justice.
Outdated rules procedures and laws, should be eliminated. Laws framed which are biased against the citizen should be amended.
Citizen should be empowered with effective tools such as RTI and redress mechanism such as the Lok Pal, and these should be given more teeth. Concept of public service needs to be instilled in the psyche – public servants exist to serve the citizen, not as masters.
Governance should be for the benefit of ALL citizens and not just a privileged few.
Corruption Needs To Be Weeded Out
Serious effort is needed to weed out deep routed corruption which is debilitating every effort at making our democracy function for the benefit of the citizen.
Police Reforms are needed to make enforcement agencies independent, trained and functional. Admin Reforms are needed to bring in visible accountability and meritocracy, with elimination of measures enacted to protect the guilty civil servant and corrupt law maker.
Public servants and law makers need to declare their assets and liabilities digitally like Income Tax Returns with NO COLUMNS LEFT BLANK. These should be routinely updated and open to public scrutiny, and anomalies should
be dealt with by the law of the land as with any citizen.
There should be no measures to protect those found guilty of corruption, in however high office. There should be no hitches to meeting out of punishment. Punishment should be designed to have a deterrent effect.
The umbilical cord binding the law maker to the civil servant needs to be cut, and honest upright officers should be rewarded and retained only on merit.
Law Breakers Cannot Be Law Makers
Decriminalizing of politics requires reform of several aspects of the electoral process as identified.
Changes needed to sections of the Representation of Peoples Act and Conduct of Election Rules, as identified, in order to curb the excesses during electioneering.
Voter should be informed of candidate’s criminal antecedents, in a timely manner, such that the voter is empowered with knowledge when casting the vote.
Candidates with criminal antecedents should be barred from contesting elections by removing the privilege of being able to fight elections after appealing against a charge. Also those serving as law makers should have to vacate immediately whilst a judicial process to discharge the conviction continues. This is a must for arresting the rise in criminality amongst legislators as well as weeding out the existing ones.
To safeguard against fraudulent and motivated cases, fast track courts should be established to clear charges in a time bound manner and then permanently debar those found guilty, from public office.
Election Commissions should be empowered with more teeth to ensure free and fair elections, and to be able to act against those breaking expenditure or advertising rules or using religion or other divisive measures to influence the voter.
The feasibility of state funding of elections, and curbing of opinion polls should be examined.
Though PIF is no longer operating – to this date its report remains VITAL + significant & is an excellent reference point for all serious efforts at IMPROVING GOVERNANCE.
Decriminalization & Criminals not being Law Makers, has kept ADR, us and like minded engaged, though, the MOST DISTURBING present situation is:
– In just ended GUJARAT elections 26% MLAs self declared Criminal Cases – of which 18% are serious, AN INCREASE OF 5% THAN IN 2012.
– Likewise in Himachal Pradesh 32% MLAs self declared Criminal Cases – of which 12% are serious, like above, AN INCREASE OF 5% THAN IN 2012.
Criminals being mainly from BJP – the winning Party. This input coming in from ADR reports.
It will greatly help if this mail is disseminated amongst persons known to you who would like to Lend a Hand in Improving Governance, most not knowing WHERE TO BEGIN. THIS WELL THOUGHT OUT HOLISTIC
FORMAT IS VERY USEFUL – each & every aspect HEREIN NEEDS Citizen’s understanding, commitment + support.