Hemanta Kumar Pradhan
You might be boring to read and see the news or discussion about the corruption in national or state level. Wherever you go, you can find the adjectives like monster, cancer, giant etc are widely used for corruption in the meetings by some parties, social organizations like Nagarika Samaj, Manch, Gana Chetana Sabha, Jana Sabha and so on. Most of the educationists, bureaucrats, politicians, social activists are advocating for corruption free society, they go on speaking in the meetings. While, Political parties take the advantages of the troubled water by bringing simple, illiterate, semi-literate village people or slum dwellers to take part in the rally, who don’t know, why they come?
The very next morning it will be news. In that way, they are publicising themselves and their party. They are not doing heartily rather they maintain the duty as drunkard night watcher. Though some exceptional persons and parties are there in the country, those are really fighting against corruption with gusto.
Why I’m talking all about, the thing is, we have so many organizations, institutions, parties, acts, laws, plans, schemes, etc to empower the society and to keep eye on the anti-people activities and illegal works in the society. We have noticed rampant corruption, mega scams and scandals in 2G spectrum case, CWG, Adarsh housing etc in the country. The list is very long in national level. Hue and cry over black money deposited in foreign bank and evading of tax by politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen created uproar in both houses of Parliament. These are the high profile corruption in the upper level of democracy. The lower level of democracy which is called as the grass-roots level of democracy is not a back-bencher in corruption now.
State like Odisha is now suffering from the disease of corruption in MGNREGA sector, PDS scam and Mines scam. Besides these, MGNREGA and PDS scam (which are popularly known as Job scam and Dal scam) are the burning examples of grass-roots level corruption, which affects directly to the common man.
Officials of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had reached the state on May 24 to probe the alleged irregularities in the implementation of the MGNREGA in six backward districts. Following a PIL filed in Supreme Court by a Delhi based NGO namely Centre for Environment and Food Security (CEFS). It alleged that Rs 500 crore was bungled in MGNREGA in the state. 77 percent of the very poor and needy sample households in the state did not get even a single day of the NREGS employment during previous one year. CEFS director Parshuram Ray claimed that out of 2,000 very poor households, only 5 households had received 100 days job during last year.
Some organisations demanded that government failed to provide 100 days work to the peoples in rural area. Machines are widely used in the place of workers in various places of the state. If we analyse the matter, we can see that Government again failed to bring transparency in the 100 day guarantee job. Before MGNREGA programme, the rural works were done by village contractors and political agents through block. The corruption was so rampant and rural peoples were not getting jobs. To solve this problem and to bring transparency in this sector, government started implementing of MGNREGA programme, where the workers will get their wage from Bank through bank account. There is no fear of cheating in wage by the contractors. Yet the corruption came into exist. The contractors were same, but the way of their work is changed as new wine in old bottle. The village contractors started using machine in night time to avoid the checking from block authorities. After the completion of works, they distribute the commission among the job card holders and Gram Sathis. In toto, contractors get huge money out of it, excluding machines rent and workers commission.
Then automatically a question comes in our mind, are not we responsible for this corruption? Only ‘government’ will come at the night to audit, what is going on in a village pond construction! When we withdraw our money from bank then deposit it to the contractor and while use of machine at the work site in the place of job card holders, why not we protest against the bungling?
Transparency is not a material, which can purchase from the market. It is an understanding and self-assessment of our duty in a legal way. It is a hindrance in our progress that we always go on alleging the government and never introspect in our faults, drawbacks as well. This is the difference between Japan and India.
In the case of PDS and BPL distribution also, we keep mum in several times. The common people feel that a rich people have BPL card, pension card which is illegal. In front of them the rich people sell the 2-a-kg rice to common people or to a shop. The common men never protest this. Some Panchayat level workers are taking money from the old people to assure him to issue an old age pension card. Everywhere from village level to district level, the grass-root level corruption rules over there.
According to a survey report by Youth for Social Development (YSD), nearly one fifth of the surveyed households accepted that they had paid bribe to procure their ration cards. On an average they had paid Rs 300 as bribe. It is a report of PDS system in Berhampur, Odisha. YSD criticized the officials and whole sellers for lack of transparency for maintaining the PDS.
Again a suggestion might be coming in your mind that government should aware the people about this irregularities and corruption. It should make them understand about the rights of common people. It should develop a strategic communication in effective manner for interactive purpose between the government and common people for the betterment of the society, but if the fences would eat the crop, then whom you believe. The Government itself corrupt, who will listen you.
Here are two instances about the voice against grass root level corruption and its protest. A 2-a-kg rice scam complain came into exist in Ramagada GP under Ganjam block of Ganjam district last year. The Panchayat people were protested and agitated in front of the block and district supply office, Chatrapur against the irregularities by the distributor. The officials started enquiry and then the PDS whole seller was suspended and now the people are getting the 2-a-kg rice in time.
Second, the Elective Women Representatives Federation (EWRF) of Balianta block near Bhubaneswar started different awareness programme within their area. After their demand, the block has devoted a working day of every last Saturday of the month as grievance cell day for them, where they can get information regarding their queries. They also started campaign against illicit liquor business and its production in their area. This is the real empowerment of women.
We the common people should wake up first against the anti-people activities and corruption. This is our country, we are the stake holders of the country, why we will keep mum fearing few people. Within our home, why will live like a slave? Why the few people in the name of Government will loot our “Roti Kapada Makan”.
If we want to bring transparency in the grass root level of democracy, our common people should aware about their rights which will help to gather courage to protest against the irregularities and illegal works which led to corruption.
“I feel Panchayat bodies should initiate social audit of MGNREGA project taken up in their area twice a year”, said Union Minister of Rural Development Jairam Ramesh at the time of his Odisha visit on August 13 to review the development works of rural area.
He also told that a special agency would come up under comptroller and Auditor General of India by the end of this year to audit expenditures on rural development.
Four month before, State Government decided to strengthen public hearing process at the block level. Government is now giving importance to bring more transparency in the system. “It has now been decided to organize public hearing at block level in order to further strengthen the process of social audit in order to bring in more transparency and accountability in the system”, said Panchayatiraj Secretary of Odisha S N Tripathy.
There are so many loopholes in our system; if we will not change our mindset to fight against the corruption then it will be a boomerang for us. We can not blame by showing certain reasons. We have to understand our rights and duties towards the nation. If the root system of a tree is affected by disease, then the growth of the tree hampered. Like that, corruption in the grass root level is not a healthy sign in the development of the country. So we should be the part of the solution.
If an old man Gandhi can unite a nation, give freedom to the people and another old man Anna Hazaare can unite the people for fighting against corruption, why not we?
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