CNBC-TV18’s special show Change India, an agenda for the next Prime Minister is a series comprising of 10 policy initiatives that will enable the next Prime Minister to combat the cancer of corruption in India. These have been culled from recommendations made by a group of experts.
A panel of distinguished contributors - Dr. Kiran Bedi, former IPS and a prominent activist in the Anna movement against corruption, distinguished author Gurcharan Das (his book India grows at night throws light on the issue on corruption) and Professor Dipankar Gupta, an eminent social scientist and Think India Foundation, CEO, Dhiraj Nayyar share their views on this issue.
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Below is the edited transcript of the interview
Q: When you think of corruption today first question that comes to mind is whether the Lokpal Bill which has now been passed in parliament, how effective that will be in combating this issue? Do you seem to feel that this is a significant step forward?
Bedi: Yes. Corruption can be handled in two ways, a bottom-up approach which reaches out as a larger meaning of corruption prevention, a top-down approach which begins with law, the mechanisms, infrastructure and Lokpal was missing, an ombudsman was missing. We were depending on one Director of CBI with a department controlled by department of personnel and every political party was saying it is politicised.
The same director of CBI which the Supreme Court said is a caged parrot now is set free. In a way whatever is referred by an 8 member body, four of them are senior judges and four eminent citizens selected by a larger non-political body which is headed by the Prime Minister, but has speaker of the Lok Sabha, has a chief justice of India, it has eminent citizen, a leader of opposition, they select this eight member body. This eight member body – four senior judges, four eminent citizens, whatever complaint they refer for inquiry or investigation to the CBI or any agency around the country will report only to this eight member body.
Q: Including state governments or is it only for the national…
Bedi: This is national. Lokayuktas are yet to come, so we are beginning at the national body which is CBI. CBI is looking after millions of Government of India employees down A, B, C, D. So CBI also has branches all over the country. Whatever is referred to CBI, earlier remember a Law Minister calling a meeting of the Director of CBI and lost his job, these things cannot now happen.
Das: I think it is a victory. No question about it. We have waited 40 plus years since Santhanam Committee first suggested it. My concern is that ultimately the proof of the pudding will be to convict people in public life and our court system will now have to deliver.
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