Corporates challenge govt corruption

The zeitgeist of our times is clearly concern about corruption and lack of governance. And when the corporate sector makes the effort to bring these matters up with the government, then the seriousness of our problems gets further emphasised.

This “Open Letter to Our Leaders”, whose signatories include Azim Premji, Keshub Mahindra, Jamshyd Godrej, Anu Aga and even Justice BN Srikrishna among others, talks about the “governance deficit” in “government, business and urgent situations”, and the “malaise of corruption which is corroding the fabric of our nation”.

Premji has just set aside a portion of his fortune to improve education in India — a rare gesture  — and just before that wrote an open letter to the government suggesting that the money over-spent on the Commonwealth Games would have been better spent improving education and sports facilities in Bihar, for instance. Many of the other signatories have also been involved in development works.

Their demands include making investigative agencies independent of the executive, a need for independent regulatory authorities to check decisions that have been “routinely subjected to extraneous influences” and empowered Lok Ayuktas in every state.

The fact is that corruption does affect everyone, no matter how rich or poor. And is what is a nuisance at the lower level can be a major threat as you climb higher up the power chain. Indian business has usually played along with the demands of India’s politicians and bureaucrats but perhaps even it has had enough.

The revelations of the past few months have exposed the connections between some industries and government and also shown us the shocking amounts of money that we have been cheated of. When this is tagged with the lack of development in some parts of India and our shoddy record in health and education, the India Story suddenly becomes far less glamourous.

India has, by most estimates, 300 million people who live below the poverty line. As they starve and the exchequer loses Rs1.76 lakh crore and more, it is perhaps about time that the rest of the nation wakes up and demands action. It is heartening that these big names have jumped into the fray. More voices need to make themselves heard if we want things to change.