Will the recently passed Lok Pal Bill end Corruption in India?
The news that the Lokpal Bill has been finally passed by the government is happy news. After many obstacles, the Lokpal Bill has at last been passed. The credit of this goes to the social activist "Anna Hazare," who pressed hard for it to be made a law.
The implementation of the bill will take place through the appointment of Lokayukta at state level at the Lokpal at the central level. A committee of 7 people with clean record has to be formed for selecting them. The jurisdiction of the Lokpal is extended to the PM, judiciary election commission etc.
The question remains, will Lokpal bill end corruption in India? At the first sight, the lokpal bill covers a gambit of features that are enough to curb corruption in India but its success lies in the proper implementation. It can deliver results only if it is effectively and efficiently implemented.
If we look at past, India since independence is beset with many scams, scandals and frauds. This has taken place at various levels of the government. In spite of having several laws to tackle them such scams have surfaced time and again. This is because the laws were never implemented effectively.
The other criticism of Lokpal Bill is the clause that prevents Lokpal from receiving complaints of corruption from the common people. It has to be at the mercy of the Parliament to get access complaints.
There is no clarity on the role of the CBI in the Lokpal Bill. The question remains whether CBI will come under the Lokpal or will it maintain its independent status? Loosing of the autonomous status of the CBI is a big a question mark on the Lokpal bill.
Lokpal Bill proposes jurisdiction merely on MPs, Ministers and PM and not on officers. It is widely believed that any corruption is perpetrated collaboratively by the officers and the politicians. How this can be addressed.
According to Lokpal Bill, the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) will look into the role of bureaucrats while Lokpal will look into the role of politicians. This would surely create differences.
Corruption is a burning issue in India since independence. Many laws and acts have been made or amended to address it. However, none has been able to control corruption. In fact what is seen is the steady growth of corruption. There is no guarantee that the lokpal bill can be effective to remove corruption from India.
So in order to totally remove corruption from India, we the people of this country do not need Acts but need real Action.
Devang R Mehta
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