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`Poor governance to blame for corruption'

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI APRIL 23. Even as the country's first National Human Development Report prepared by the Planning Commission has claimed an overall improvement in the human development index since the 1980s, it has called for conceptually repositioning the role of the state in human development by adopting neither a completely minimalist role nor an entirely proactive one.

Focussing on the ``agenda ahead'' for improving the overall human development in the country, the report lays stress on drastic reforms in the civil services, large-scale devolution of power to the panchayati raj institutions and decentralisation of decision-making to manage local affairs and on procedural reforms covering all aspects of the Government's interface with public. These issues call for priority attention if the issue of improving governance in the country has to be addressed, the report says.

In the case of the civil service, the report has said that ``it has to be realised that a system that had roots in the requirement of a colonial polity and entrusted with the task of maintaining status quo in the society cannot be entirely suitable for initiating, formulating, implementing and even catalysing development activities in a growing economy. A control-oriented system has to give way to a growth-oriented set-up. This requires clear demarcation of responsibilities between the law and order machinery and the machinery entrusted with the task of catalysing development in partnership with local self-governing bodies.''

As part of the reform of civil service, it suggested that there should be an incentive structure that rewards and promote merit, discipline malfunction and misconduct and improve accountability and performance. ''There is a case for opening the higher ranks of civil service to contractual fixed tenure appointments, with a view to having responsible and informed administrative leadership,'' is the recommendation.

About corruption, the report is forthright. It says that ``corruption is the most endemic and entrenched manifestation of poor governance in the Indian society, so much so that it has almost become an accepted reality and a way of life.''

Analysing the phenomenon of widespread corruption, the report says that when a relatively low-paid Government servant enters a situation where he enjoys both monopoly and discretionary power without any or limited accountability, he or she has an incentive to restrict his or her assigned functions and duties, in the process, seek and charge a monopoly price for services rendered. The remedy suggested is rationalising rules, notifying them in a comprehensive and transparent manner, assigning accountability of each functionary and providing administrative and legal recourse in case of malafide dilatoriness, all of which would be necessary to address this problem.

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