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On 14th May, 2016 at Mission Compound, Kohima organized by Angami Baptist Church
Council(ABCC) on the topic – ‘Corruption’.
Corruption means misuse of entrusted power for private gain. Corruption is a form of dishonest or unethical conduct by a person entrusted with a position of authority and very often to acquire personal benefit. Corruption is internationally recognized as a major problem which is capable of threatening the social, Economic, and Political development of a country. Corruption is anti-National, Anti-Life, Anti-poor, and Anti-Economic development. As corruption in public life is gross violation of human rights, it is anti-people. The Supreme Court also remarked that corruption is like disease called cancer and if not detected in time it grows bigger and bigger and it will malignise the polity of the country leading to disastrous consequence.
In the context of Nagaland, ‘Corruption’ has been deeply rooted in the field of administration as well as political and judicial system and some of the common corrupt practices are as follows; i) abuse of power – using position or status to discriminate somebody or gain something from that person ii) nepotism – giving jobs to relatives and family members iii) favoritism – giving unfair opportunity to friends iv) extortion – obtained by force, threats or unfair means v) bribery – taking money to give people’s job, profession, treatment or dishonestly persuade someone for help through cash vi) embezzlement – stealing money or resources that is under one’s control vii) fraud – making false claims for benefits, etc. Today corruption itself has become a business, says experts at an international conference on April 30th 2016 at Dew Delhi where a senior Supreme Court advocate Francis Julain lamented – “From politicians, lawyers, judges all are involved in corrupt practices, So much that you now live in a polluted environment”. “People have no hesitation in paying for unaccounted money. Privatization has aggravated corruption”, “now the only hope is with the youth of the country who raised some serious stands against corruption levels of the country”. C Raj Kumar said –“Corruption is a seriously politicized affair. It affects people at large and it is something we should all be concerned about”.
Some of the corrupt practices prevailing in Nagaland are as follows :-
i) Appointment in public/government offices – appointment is done without any advertisement in the press and no selection process is followed which is called ‘backdoor appointment’. In the name of government approval the Commissioner & Secretary or approval authority approves the candidatures of own children and relatives, and the appointing authority appointing own sons and daughters and relatives which is called “Nepotism”. Cases of appointment without having post or sanctioned of posts. Cases of bogus appointments. Cases where one person is having appointment in more than one department. Cases where government employees regularly draws monthly salary without attending office/duty. Making business by taking money in appointment. Excess appointments. Appointment of minor and over-age candidates. Fictitious and ghost employees. Politician randomly recommended for appointment.
ii)Deduction of public funds – deduction of certain percentages in the name of ‘commission’ such as minister cut/commission, party fund, both legal and illegal deduction by government in finance, departmental charges, quality control, work tax, etc and several others including underground, etc. Breach of trust by the DDOs in a department. Illegal collection of cash at the check-gates maintained by Nagaland Police & on highways.
iii)Misuse of public funds including LADP and no action taken against the irregularities – misappropriation and diversion of various schemes including central scheme especially for infrastructural development, public utility, etc. Wrongfully keeping public finds for development in civil deposit and also delayed necessary payments entitled by contractors and delay release of monthly salaries entitled by government employees. Every year CAG has been submitting its reports of misappropriation of public funds/money and the manner of irregularities in several departments but all these got stuck up with Public Account Committee(PAC) of Nagaland Legislative Assembly. CAG report such as Swimming pool, 146 LADP projects worth Rs.5.18 crores found to be non-existent, several instances of unexecuted projects detected, serious flaws in ICDS(Integrated Child Development Scheme) implementation in Nagaland - despite of receiving 25364.30 quintal of food items valued Rs. 36.25 crores, the department paid Rs.75.11 crores for supply of 48991.66 quintals of food items(excess receipt of 22255.92 quintals of two food items suggested investigation). Paid Rs. 40.70 crores “without actual receipt of materials, etc. etc.
iv)Supply of the items of Public Distribution System (PDS) including Kerosene allocation and the cardholders of AAY, BPL & APL, etc. By implementing the National Food Security Act 2013 the food grains allocation to the State which is 1,27,668 metric tones(MT) would be increased to 1,38,000 MT(47,940 AAY, 77,095 BPL & 59,000 APL cardholders in Nagaland would be benefited). 79.83% people would be covered in the rural area while 61.98% would be covered in urban area, adding that every person would get wheat at Rs.2/- per kg and rice at Rs.3/- per kg. Nagaland government is yet to implement the NFSA 2013. No advertisement is issued for any supply. As per CAG report the highest amount of misappropriation and loss amounting to Rs.402.66 crore involves two cases in Food and Civil Supply department where final action has not been taken by the State Government(Public Account Committee). Youth Resources Department at Rs.74.38 crores is the second highest, ironically followed by the Finance Department at Rs.43.69 crores. Case-wise, the Health & Family Welfare, has the highest number, with 9 cases of misappropriation and defalcation.
v)Corruption is the root cause of bad roads and poor quality of workmanship in roads and others – table tender in awarding works, used poor quality and sub-standard including expiry of materials, several commissions including minister & party funds, drawn the project money without doing the work, works executed by non-registered contractors including politician, party workers, government employees, etc. Certain firm/contractor are allowed work with very high percentage above the prevailing SOR. Unethical practices of technicality. Never issued NIT or advertised in the press for any supply in several department including Food & Civil Supplies, Police, Medical, Social Welfare, etc.
vi)The rich and influential section of people taking away the shares of the genuine candidates such as relief, grant, subsidy, etc and also materials meant for farmers/cultivator, villagers, widow, BPL, children, old people or senior citizen, persons with disability, etc.
vii)Exploiting government employees – some officers are availing or using the services of government employees for one’s own personal work and benefit such as engaged them i.e the Grade-IV or Constable in their own private works even to the extent of taking care of their aged parents and even engage a fresh batch of recruitment in cutting fire woods in a jungle bought by an officer for his own personal use or business. In some cases some government drivers were put to duty not only for their own officer/boss but others in the family such as school duty, church duty, patient duty, etc & their dignity of labour is denied.
viii) Fraudulent drawer of money – false medical re-imbursement or including expensive medicines, cheatingly drawing travelling allowances, leave travel concession (TA/LTC), General Provident Fund(GPF), leave encashment, Pension, etc.
ix) Unethical businesses – unfair means of practices in measurement be in solid or liquid such as short weightment in balance especially butchers, measurement in litre especially in fuel station such as petrol pump, selling expiry and sub-standard goods, adulteration of food such as mixing inferior quality and in fuel mixing with kerosene, etc.
x)During the State General Assembly Election – a person maintaining votes in several places in a constituency, practices other than ‘One Man One Vote’, certain commitment or promises of candidates to voters, distributing and taking money, government employees involves in election campaign, church leaders in distributing money, proxy voting, booth capturing, providing travel conveyance, supply food or drink or other materials, etc.
Lokayukta is to be established in Nagaland so as to punish the corrupt public servants and also amassing wealth disproportionate to their known source of income. Lokayukta is derived from Sanskrit word which means “appointed by the people” and the origin can be trace back to the ombudsman in Scandinavian countries. Lokayukta can also be defined in simple terms as an Anti-Corruption Act or it can also considered as a watchdog to pinpoint the wrong doing of the administration. Lokayukta is to look into the complaints of the people and to suggest measures to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the Government. The main objective of Lokayukta is to curb the menace of corruption providing within the State. With so much of public pressure the Nagaland State Legislative Assembly could set up a Committee to establish Lokayukta in Nagaland but what is the reason for the said committee being delayed till date. In the case of the present government not willing to implement Lokayukta within this tenure then no politician should speak a word that “the state government is committed to fight Corruption”.