An Upright Presentationby

A Noble Citizen

Presenter*: VIKRAM SINHA

*{ Working as Senior Manager (Vigilance & IR), Bank of India, Ranchi}

“Sab Gol Maal Hai Bhai;Sab Gol Maal Hai…….”

How long you will rejoice this song?

It’s time to serious rethinking.

Life is full of contradictions.

Signs don’t work……so more spitting. It’s all in our attitude.

The story does not end here.It is much BIGGER……

Now, Move along with My Story.

To begin with, just like any Good Public Servant let me take pledge.

PLEDGE

We, the PUBLIC SERVANTS of INDIA, do hereby solemnly pledge that

We shall continuously strive to bring aboutINTEGRITY and TRANSAPARANCY

in all spheres of our activities.

We also pledge thatwe shall work unstintingly

for eradication of corruption in all spheres of life.

We shall remain VIGILANTand work towards

the GROWTH and REPUTATIONof our organisation

through our COLLECTIVE EFFORTS.

We shall bring PRIDE to our organisation and

provide VALUE BASED SERVICE to our countrymen.

We shall do our duty conscientiously and

act without FEAR or FAVOUR.

A ceremonial reaffirmation and rededication pledge taken by all Public Servants during Vigilance Awareness Week every year.

Oh! My God…its really a

Set of GOOD WORDS;

Set of BETTER THOUGHTS; and of course,

BEST OF INTENTIONS.

ALAS…!!!

The Net Impact: BIG ZERO

(The number of zeros is variable which varies from organisation to organisation)

Lots More to Add…

ACTIVITY/EVENT KEY THEME

Vigilance Awareness Week 2010: “Generation of Awareness and Publicity against Corruption”

International Anti-Corruption Day Seminar on December 9,2010 “ Empowering Citizens to Combat Corruption”

Many more “Key Note Public Lectures on Integrity & Anti-Corruption”

Prize Distributions to the winners of Slogan and Symposiums on topic related to Anti-Corruption & Eradication of Corruption from Public Life etc.

PAUSE FOR A WHILE…

You can notice how quickly they come and go with TOUCH & GO effects.

How randomly activate our mind.

Oddly enough…another side of picture!

2010: YEAR OF SCAMS

CBI books Top Games brass for Rs. 50 Crore fraud.

Ghaziabad PF Scam case involving Higher Judiciary.

Bribe-for-loans scandal among a clutch of State-owned banks and a mortgage lender.

2G Spectrum: Puts all scams to shame.

High-Rise Scam: Adarsh to be razed.

GDP: $ 3.862 TrillionGDP Growth: 8.9%Per Capita Income: Rs. 44,345No. of Billionaires: 69

The Sorry Saga: The Black Money in Swiss Bank:

Top Five

India: $1.456 billionRussia: $ 470 billionUK : $ 390 billionUkraine: $ 100 billionChina: $ 96 billion

(Source: i-next, Ranchi Edition, December 12 & 18,2010)

Contradiction continues…..

Home Truth: Quick Bytes

The Shining Growth Story:

More astonishing facts…!!!

Total bribe amount paid by the rural below poverty line (BPL) households in a year to avail basic and need based services: Rs. 883 Crore

Average amount paid by a BPL household in India: Rs. 550 per annum

(Based on India Corruption Study,2008 carried out by Transparency International India.

Source: www.transparencyindia.org/projects.php)

The brand is “unbranded” by Transparency International

INDIA scores 3.3 on Corruption Perception Index (CPI) on a scale of 10 in their Annual Report of 2009.

INDIA is ranked at 87 among 178 countries.

Where CPI Index 0 = Most Corrupt; 10= Highly Clean

( Source: Business Today, 28 November 2010.)

No More Statistics...!

No More Comments on the content or context of corruption…!!

No More Delusions, please...!!!

The Mute Questions are:

What went wrong?

Where Did We Lose the path?

TAKE A DEEP BREATH…and THINK OVER…!!!

Whether our system as a whole has been rotten?

Whether we are morally bankrupt?

Whether media is mute?

Whether people in general have become passive participants of corruption?

Whether politicians alone are responsible? and

Whether the knife of our enforcement agencies have got rusted?

The answer for each question is

Partially YES and Partially NO.

So, No More Debate…Where We stand?

It’s high time to have a Sense of Urgency…

To Move Ahead on the Right Path…Right Now.

Begin the Journey…

Distance is nothing. It is the first step that is difficult.

Charity begins at home.

A MILLION DOLLER QUESTION

“Papa; Main Phone Par Uncle Ko Yeh Kyun Bolu Ki Aap Abhi Ghar Par Nahi Hain?

( Dad, Why should I tell lie over phone that you are not at home right now?)

The simplicity of this 6 years old kid can be aptly applied to solve more than 60 years of complex problem of corruption.

When in action, are you true to yourself?

Let personal integrity be your guide…Always.

Moral: You can bribe the whole world but you can’t bribe your own conscience.

The plot of story thickens!!!

Whether UPA vs. NDA?

Messages are clear:

Corruption is there and everywhere.

Growth does not necessarily mean good governance.

Well Said!

“ Our economy may increasingly be dynamic, butour moral universe seems to be shrinking…Graft andgreed are on the rise.”

-Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, Congress President during 10th

Indira Gandhi Conference titled: An Indian Social Democracy Integrating Markets,Democracy and Social Justice” at New Delhi.

(Source: The Economic Times, Kolkata Edition, 20th November, 2010)

Money Power !

“ Nothing moves without money……………

Why not government legalize corruption so that specific amount is fixed for every

case. Let us say if a man wants his case to be settled he can be asked to pay Rs.

2,500/ . That way every individual will know how much bribe he has to pay. There

is no need for any bargaining by the official and the people will also know

beforehand how much they have to pay without any worry.”

-: Expression of concern by Hon’ble Justice Markandeya Kaju & T. S. Thakur:-

Case: Appeal filed by CBI challenging acquittal of an IT Inspector Shri Mohan Lal Sharma by the Punjab & Haryana High Court

Source: The Economic Times, Kolkata Edition, 10th Oct. 2010

Whether it is candid Mrs. Sonia or worried Apex Court, we

need to introspect and move ahead with a sense of urgency.

Before that,

Let us Do our Home Work first to get a sense of direction.

Confused..??? Integrity is really a value loaded word.

Let us be very simple.

Whenever a cat drinks milk she closes its eyes believing no one is seeing

“Integrity is doing the right thing even if nobody is watching.” -Anonymous

Moral : Corruption is nothing but an animal instinct.

Damn..Fool..!!!

What to do with integrity in today’s materialist world?

Does it mean that integrity is Wrong Call?

OR

Is it a caller tune of CVC and other enforcement directorates?

Now, Take a round of outer world where system works.

The Present Scenario:

The Bapu’s Three Wise Moneys embodying the proverbial principlesto “ See No Evil; Hear No Evil & Speak No Evil” has long beenassociated with the being of “ Good Mind, Speech and Action” haschange changed their meaning and context.

The Bureaucrats “ Hear No Evil” about corruption;

The People in General “ Speak No Evil” about corruption;

The Politician “ See No Evil” about corruption and so are otherconstituents of our system.

( Of course, exceptions are there too.)

Three Stars For Your Excellent Homework, Dear Bureaucrats!

Now Action Time, please!

Politicians swear to speak only when they are in opposition.

What A Contradiction……..!!

Now, Bureaucracy Verses Political System

Do I need to say more?

Who has to be blamed more? Keep introspecting …..

Source: Cartoon Network on Web

A Gentle Reminder to Media

Corruption should not be used as matrix to increase TRP.

PS: “No Party” journalist who are doing commendable job ofresponsible journalism may ignore this reminder.

Finally, The GREAT PUBLIC

Remember,Bad politicians are always chosen by good people who don’t vote.

We can’t afford to stand in a ‘Surya Namaskar’ pose until we see the light.

Don’t Feel contended by registering on

IpaidABribe.com

Or for that matter by sending a SMS to enforcement agencies

It does not matter who has paid the bribe.

The real solution lies in cutting the supply line.

So, the Next when some ‘BLACK SHEEP’ dials “C” for Corruption.

You may opt not to dial the TOLL-FREE-NUMBER (1800-180-11) of Central Vigilance Commission but

Don’t Forget to dial “S” for “Shame on You”

Keep Your Tools also ready

Extensive use and knowledge of the Tools of Good Governance such as:

RIGHT TO INFORMATION;

Citizen’s Charter;

Village Information Centers;

Whistle Blower Policy

All these people-centric efforts will definitely bring transparent and accountablegovernance through more and more participation irrespective of Gender, Caste, Creedor Community.

Have you not heard*“Bas Ek Chchota Sa Idea Aapki Jindgi Badal Sakta Hai!”

Source (*): Popular jingle of Idea Cell phone

We, the PEOPLE OF INDIA, need to have mutual respect for intention and initiatives of the Government taken so far and are being taken for a transparent and healthy

society.

Welcome Initiatives of CVC National Anti-Corruption Strategy; Leveraging Technology to Prevent Corruption; Integrity Pact for Public Procurement;Provision of Whistle Blowers;Launching of ‘VIG-EYE’ ; TOLL-FREE-NUMBER.

Take some Lessons from BIHAR and ORISSA

Right to Service Bill: Visionary plan for ensuring time bound services in government offices.

(Bravo Nitish, Chief Minister of BIHAR)

OSWAN*: Unique e-governance plan promisingadministrative effectiveness and efficiencythrough connectivity

(*Orissa State Wide Area Network) Recently launched on 21.12.2010 as published in The economic times, Kolkata edition dated 22nd December, 2010.

OUT-OF-BOX SUGGESTIONS

CVC need to have Community Relationship Department.

Built trust through leadership in government.

If black turns white. Move to bring back illegal money hoarded in SWISS BANKS back to India and use them in developmental growth of the country.

Moving from Symbolism to Systematic Reform of prevailing anti-corruption measures.

Exchange of Best Global Practices as well as capacity building of the personnel involved in anti-corruption work.

The Road Ahead

The road ahead may be full of pot holes.

Let us make a promising start together.

The need of the hour is to redefine the spirit of pledge taken at the

beginning and it needs to be taken by all concerned* by joining hands

together.

(*) Committed Political leadership, Organised & Vocal Civil Society together with responsible Media should join hands with reoriented public servants.

Once we are committed for redefined pledge followed through determination to move ahead on

values.

We all shall be singing a new song too….

“Soncho Sath Kaya Jayega!”

Jai Hind!

Thanks for your kind attention.