Dimapur, May 11 (EMN): Nagaland Voluntary Consumers’ Organisation (NVCO) has urged the chief minister to set up Lokayukta in Nagaland considering the present scenario of corruption in the State.
NVCO president, Kezhokhoto Savi, in a representation submitted to the chief minister on May 11, urged the latter setting up of Lokayukta in Nagaland considering the present scenario of corruption in the State, which according to him is ‘the need of the hour.’
The representation highlighted on corruption and its prevalence in the State and the necessity of Lokayukta in the State. It described corruption as misuse of entrusted power for private gain.
NVCO has described corruption as a form of dishonest or unethical conduct by a person entrusted with a position of authority to acquire personal benefit. It stated that corruption is internationally recognised as a major problem, which is capable of threatening the social, economic and political development of a country. As corruption in public life is gross violation of human rights, it is anti-people, NVCO said. The Supreme Court had also likened corruption to a ‘cancer,’ which if not detected in time, will grow bigger and bigger marginalise polity of the country leading to disastrous consequence.
Corruption in the context of Nagaland
(i) Abuse of power: NVCO has accused some officers of using position or status to discriminate somebody or gain personal benefit from their subordinate employees such as engaging them in their own private works even to the extent of taking care of their aged parents, fetching fire wood from jungle etc. It also alleged that some government employees even supported political candidates financially and also took active participation in election campaign.
(ii) Nepotism: NVCO also alleged certain officers of resorting to nepotism by offering jobs to relatives and family members without following the government norms. It said huge appointment were made without having post or sanctioned posts thereby depriving other deserving candidates. It went on to alleged that some government officials regularly draw monthly salary without attending office/duty.
(iii) Favouritism: NVCO alleged some officers of giving unfair opportunity to friends by awarding contract works or supplies to own choice of people. It accused influential section of the people by taking away shares of the genuine candidates in the forms relief, grant, subsidy etc and other materials meant for farmers/cultivator, villagers, widow, BPL, children, old people or senior citizen, persons with disability.
(iv) Extortion: NVCO also accused some officers of obtaining pecuniary benefits through force, threats or unfair means. It pointed out to deduction of public funds including minister commission and party fund and several others including underground etc. Besides deduction of certain percentage from government employee monthly salary by several groups, it pointed out breach of trust by DDOs by diverting public funds, illegal collection of cash at the check-gates maintained by Nagaland Police and others on highways etc.
NVCO accused certain officers of dishonestly resorting to taking money to provide government job. It also accused government officials of misusing public funds including LADP.
Backdoor appointment: NVCO said the fight against backdoor appointment was to ensure “equality of appointment in matters of public appointment” enshrined as a fundamental right in Article 16 of the Constitution of India to the many educated/ meritorious/ qualified/ unemployed youth so as to bring about a positive change in public administration and achieve the goals/ ideals laid down in the Constitution.
It is also the fight against all those employed, who have been appointed/ recruited in various departments bypassing the constitutional scheme of public employment through the modus operandi of illegal, backdoor, contractual, adhoc, casual, temporary, deputation, irregular etc modes of appointment in collusion between the bureaucrats and the politicians.
In its representation, NVCO said Lokayukta is urgently required in order to eradicate corruption in the State. Lokayukta is anti-corruption ombudsman organisation in the Indian states and the origin of Lokayukta can be trace back to the ombudsman in Scandinavian countries.
Lokayukta can be defined in simple terms as an Anti-Corruption Act or it can also be considered as a watchdog to pinpoint the wrong doing of the administration to look into the complaints of the people and to suggest measures to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the government. Lokayukta is considered to be one of the most powerful institutes in the country.
Lokayukta is a person appointed by the Governor. He must be a retired judge of the Supreme Court of India or a retired Chief Justice of a High Court and an independent person not holding any office of profit. The establishment Lokayukta in the State is to provide clean, transparent, and accountable government of the people.
The Lokayukta Bill was by the Parliament to fight against corruption. The main objective of Lokayukta is to curb the menace of corruption within the State. When any individual makes a complaint against the public servant relating to corruption, mal-administration, favoritism, nepotism etc, the Lokayukta looks into such matters and investigates. If they find out that the allegations are true, the public servant is punished. Public servant includes the chief minister, cabinet ministers, MLAs, Vice Chancellor of Universities, bureaucrats, secretaries and the higher-ups of the government department.
Lokayukta is a great check on corruption aimed at bringing about transparency in the system to make State administrative machinery citizen friendly.
In the light of the above stated circumstances, NVCO earnestly urged the chief minister to take up necessary action and set up lokayukta in Nagaland at the earliest.
