What is new
Kejriwal amasses monumental deficit in battling corruption
- Published on 04 June 2015
(Edited Image Courtesy: Transparency International)
‘All parties together in corruption: Arvind Kejriwal’. So ran the headline for the PTI story datelined 17th August 2012 published in Economic Times and certain other publications.
At that time, Mr. Kejriwal had not formed Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). He loved playing the role of anti-graft crusader. He is now struggling to retain this carefully-crafted image in the eyes of Aam Aadmi.
After regaining power in Delhi in February, he, as Chief Minister, has failed to act in suspected/alleged cases of major corruption. And to deflect the public attention from his flop-show, Mr. Kejriwal is now resorting to gimmicks. A case in point is the outsourcing of manpower for Delhi Government’s Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) from Bihar Government.
He is also dragging his feet over his hobbyhorse, Delhi Jan Lokpal Bill, which has not even been introduced in the State Assembly till today. He has thus not kept his word to introduce the Bill in the in the first session of re-constituted assembly.
He has also not exercised the existing option for the interregnum, i.e., facilitating appointment of Delhi Lokayukta. This post is lying vacant since October 2013, leading to massive pile-up of cases requiring investigation. It has already triggered a public interest litigation that has led Delhi High Court to admonish his Government to act fast on this subject.
Lokpal or Lokayukta, Kejriwal is caught is a situation similar to one faced by a novice riding the tiger. The ombudsman, whatever be its legal basis, is likely to unmask him by taking up potential cases involving his party and MLAs. A notable case that no anti-corruption watchdog can over is the dubious Rs 2-crores donation that his party received from four shell companies.
Mr. Kejriwal is thus haunted with the risk of the public throwing back at him, the same charge that swept him to power - All parties (AAP included) are together in corruption.
Don’t Degrade Corruption Prevention & Detection to a butt of Jokes
- Published on 29 May 2015
Image Courtesy-United Nations' anti-graft website: track.unodc.org
Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has put global anti-corruption watchdog, Transparency International (TI), in a tight spot.
With Mr. Jaitley declaring Union Government as totally corruption-free, TI might have to now alter the global Corruption Perception Index (CPI). This is notwithstanding the unpleasant ground realty in the country that would be elaborated later.
TI would be under perceived ‘moral pressure’ from the world’s largest political party, BJP, to create a new category of national governments that have declared themselves as corruption-free! It is a different issue that the self-certification and self-attestation has been crafted by maiming diverse anti-corruption channels.
Under CPI, the countries are ranked on a scale extending from ‘highly corrupt’ to ‘very clean’. TI has so far never declared any country or national government as a totally clean entity or as a zero-corruption entity.
TI’s approach towards gauging corruption can be sensed from the very first sentence of TI’s brochure on CPI 2014. It reads as: “Poorly equipped schools, counterfeit medicine and elections decided by money are just some of the consequences of public sector corruption.”
With Dismal Report Card, NDA Should Redefine its Agenda as Growth +Jobs
- Published on 15 May 2015
(Waiting for Jobs- Image Courtesy: jharkhandemployment.nic.in)
The report card is out with the NDA Government set to complete its first year in office on 25th May. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi has himself implicitly given a perfect 10 to his Government. He did so the other day by claiming that his Government has achieved more in 10 months than what UPA regime attained in 10 years.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, a sworn Modi critic, has, on the other hand, given Modi Sarkar a big zero.
Mr. Kumar reportedly stated the government ‘wasted’ almost one year as it has failed to fulfill even a single promise made in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls last year.
Neither 24-carat self-praise nor rabid criticism can stand scrutiny before an objective assessment of the Government of the day.
Any independent analyst would accept the conclusion drawn by celebrated author Arun Shourie that Modi Government’s performance has been “good in parts”. He singled out Mr. Modi’s success in putting India on the centre-stage of global diplomacy and discourse for appreciation.
One may add three initiatives to the list of NDA’s good work: 1) big policy thrust to inland waterways, coastal shipping and the shipping sector as a whole and 2) Reforms in the defence and industrial manufacturing licensing arena, excluding the UPA legacy of policy paralysis in the field of small arms manufacture and 3) restoration of the business confidence, which had touched all-time low under UPA.
ICICI Bank pays Rs 219.4-crore to Govt due to CAG-PAC’s vigil
- Published on 06 May 2015
(Edited Image Courtesy:PIB)
“As managing director and CEO since 2009, she has brought India’s largest private bank a global vision and impressive returns, while also reaching out to the nation’s masses with branches in remote villages where banks simply didn’t exist.”
This is how Mr. Anshu Jain, Co-CEO of Deutsche Bank, profiled ICICI Bank CEO Ms. Chanda Kochhar, in the Time Magazine, which included her in its annual list of the World's 100 most influential people released on 16th April, 2015.
Mr. Jain's perception has to be taken with a pinch of salt. It should be read along the disclosures contained in three different reports tabled in Parliament, the latest one of which was presented on 27th April 2015.
The latest one from Public Accounts Committee (PAC) revealed ICICI Bank has paid Rs 54.80-crore penal interest on Rs 164.60 crore that the latter wrongly took from the Government under a farm loan waiver scheme. It was implemented by UPA regime during two-year period ending 30th June 2010.