9th Jun 2021 10:06:PM Editorials
Eastern Sentinel Arunachal News

In the case of arrest of two government officials which has instantly become a hot topic in Arunachal Pradesh, besides the SIC, special thanks should be given to the contractor. But for his ‘covert operation’ which recorded the entire underhand dealing, the case, like most others of a similar nature wouldn’t have come on the public domain and the arrests wouldn’t have been possible. Taking bribes for getting things done in government offices is one of the most-repeated forms of corruption in the country and seemingly has no end. To say more expressly, it’s an unwritten law now and the ‘mutualistic relationship’ between the bribe taker and bribe giver has only thrived, despite bringing into effect several laws and appeals from the government. Till now, anywhere in the world, no antidote has proved assuringly successful and in the Indian context a striking feature is that as the methods of vigilance get multiplied or upgraded over time, ways more devious than before are being invented. It’s a deep-rooted culture, measuring the fathom of which is impossible and it’s unsurprising that cases of corrupt officials landing behind bars are few and far between.
The DFO office case can only be categorised as symbolic and such ‘pay commission, get billls passed’ arrangement has been prevalent across the country for decades. It’s only a handful who wants to be rebellious and the courageous contractor in the current case who had the guts to swim against the tide was one of them. Corruption Perception Index (CPI) for 2020 released by the global corruption watchdog Transparency International in January this year placed India at the 86th spot which is a slip of 8 steps from the earlier edition. In a separate report that was published in November 2020 also by Transparency International titled Global Corruption Barometer ( GCB), India earned the disrepute of having the highest bribery rate (39%) among all Asian countries. The report, besides mirroring the realities also enumerated what needs to be done. Streamlining of administrative processes in the delivery of public services, implementing technology-centric measures to combat bribery and nepotism and going all-out to ensure greater transparency in financial dealings were the measures suggested. Technology do has the capability to minimise corruption and a classic example can be the evolution of the system of direct benefit transfer ( DBT) which has successfully blocked the wrongful activities of  middlemen. Various studies have brought into fore the reality that it’s development which ultimately gets hampered due to corruption. 
More exposures of corruption of this kind are necessary. The state government now must have got a fair idea of the ground realities. Only words like ‘zero tolerance against corruption’  will not do. Action against corrupt officials on a prolonged basis is the need of the hour.


Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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