Corruption free J&K

It is a fact that the UT administration is trying its best to provide corruption free, transparent and accountable governance to the people of J&K. And in that regard Govt is strengthening the system by using cutting-edge technology and administrative reforms at all levels of governance. Nobody can deny that corruption effects the overall functioning of the administration and also has a negative impact on the growth and development of nation. In today’s world, almost all the countries of the world are affected by this menace some way or the other.

There are various corrupt indices developed by many institutions to check the corrupt practices in a given society but unfortunately it is not possible to measure corruption by any means of standards. Previous governments miserable failed in curbing corruption and delivered very little on the ground. Governance would be ineffective as long as rampant corruption exists. In order to have corruption free governance, it is important to ensure complete accountability in functioning at all levels of the administration. Corrupt elements in the administrative apparatus must be detected and eliminated.

What has been seen in the past is that many a times corrupt officials go scot-free; it is indeed not good enough to trap somebody taking few thousand rupees while someone taking lakhs is let loose. If the government is serious about combating corruption, it must ensure that no perpetrator, no matter how powerful, is spared. The need of the hour is to adopt sustainable accountability in all the government departments. In addition, all departments that are vulnerable to corruption must be scrutinized. That could serve as a starting point to check the corrupt practices in the administration.

Since previous governments failed to address rampant corruption, it has become institutionalized in several ways. If corruption persists, it is difficult to imagine fair or clean governance. Acting tough on corrupt officials can serve as a deterrent to others. People at large cannot shrug off their responsibilities and must play an active role to discourage the corrupt practices prevalent in our society. Experts believe that it is not possible to eradicate corruption completely but implementing administrative accountability can significantly reduce it. The fight against corruption is a long battle and needs the transparency of rules, laws and processes.

(Author is research scholar in public administration and a freelancer)