I believe "Technology can prevent corruption"..Do you..??
I was standing in the queue and guy came said
" Nahin hoga Sahib, bolo toh mei karwa doon"..I didnt pay heed to
him. Day 2, I was again waiting for my turn till someone came from behind and he
uttered same words to the one standing in front of me. Cut to day 3, the scene
was no different I was again waiting in queue but the day was different bcoz I
thought I will not return empty handed as I was about to be receive service of
a public authority. End of day I was agonizingly close but the story was same. I was low and tired as it all happened in
scorching heat of May’2007. That day I decided tomorrow will be different. Day
4 was different indeed. I finally had my driving license but it cost me Rs.
2000 more that I had to pay to the tout who offered me his services since Day
1. This was my first encounter with the
ubiquitous corruption we face today. Welcome everyone..!!
It is better to try and plug the leak in a
sinking boat rather than to keep the bailing water especially if the hole is
getting bigger. It is wiser to root out the cause instead of dealing with the
symptoms. Last lines are best suited to problem of corruption that our country
faces today. The daily exposes and the cry to act against the alleged culprits
only tells us how grave the problem has become. No doubt punishing the guilty
is at best “BAND AID SOLUTION” but given the risk reward ratio, one set of
offenders will be replaced by another. With the possibility of being caught is
small the possibility of being convicted is even smaller. In a way, we can say
that there is little deterrence and gains are huge. The same individuals are
involved in associations with corporate houses and firms which blow the trumpet
of being socially responsible by acts of CSR, corporate governance etc.
Exposing these individuals through “Name-Shame Approach” only act as fodder
material for our media.
There is no singular solution to the problem of
corruption. The ANNA movement last year apparently proved to be mass gatherer
and showed that people are grasping for air to come over the problem of
corruption but the light to get out of this is still in labyrinth. The bills
such as LOKPAL can best be seen amongst an array of tools available to us to
tackle the issue. The growing call for immediate action among our countrymen
for justice can seen as perfect breeding ground for Fascism. The situation can prove to be more grave given the lynch
mob mentality prevailing among masses which gets amplified by our media, which now a
day’s carries its own jury during its prime time shows. Off course we have RTI
and whistle blower policies but they are
only part of the solution and not the solution.
When everything looks so gloomy, I believe “technology”
can be seen as a respite and can save the day for all of us. Given the fact
that no two days are similar in world of technology when innovation gets tagged
with it, technology can be seen as something unprecedented in tackling
corruption. For instance, a common database connected to multiple servers can propagate
transparency and competition. Computerization of land records is an standing
example of the same. Corruption in government schemes such as MNREGA can be
tackled with introduction of AADHAR databases for transfer of funds to
beneficiary. This can take care of problem of GHOST-BENEFICIARIES prevalent
these days. Similarly, linking AADHAR database with PDS and government
databases can prevent misuse. The recent initiative of short tenured Delhi
government, under leadership of AAP party, of using mobile phone for tackling
corruption was a potent move to demonstrate other use of mobile phones apart
from communicating. SPY PEN being used these days is another example.
The problem of corruption is pervasive across the
globe and technology has turned to be potent tool everywhere. Take Indonesia,
for example, where under Urban Poverty Programme the government has harnessed
Internet and Mobile technology to enhance project monitoring, transparency and
effectiveness. Similarly, in Philippines, government has started “online public
tipoff programme “to get hold of all the tax evaders and smugglers of the country.
New Innovation in technology, as I have said
earlier, can prove to be more lethal in its stance against corruption. For
instance, World Bank is coming up with new next generation software to detect
red flags indicating fraud, corruption and collusion in public procurements.
Similarly, new technologies are also being developed which would allow consumer
to determine whether the drug they are about to buy is counterfeit or not.
Last week, which had theme of “Combating
Corruption-Technology as an enabler”, or honorable President and Prime Minister
emphasized on the importance of technology in our acts against corruption.
In the end, I will leave you
guys with this” It is said that
Integrity is how you act when no one watching”. Lemme just give a twist to
it. I would say with power of technology we all can watch to varying degrees
24X7. Technology gives real sense to transparency and accountability. It can be
a strategic tool to plug the leak instead of continuing bailing out the water.
I am about to sail in my bike and lemme jus make
use of license where it all started. I might have belabored too much but that’s
one of my ways to do justice to the name of the blog.
Love
Sid
