|
By Vaikom Madhu
There is no peer-reviewed prescription to fight against corruption, at least in India, which is home to systemic corruption. The basket of News in our Daily Newspapers and Channels is full only when spiced up with story on corruption is added, which is aplenty.
It is just a matter of choice before you, to make a selection between state level corruption or national level corruption involving iconic politicians. Or politicians who had found their way up greasing the palm of the powerful.
In the absence of a sure-fix formula to fight the prevalence of this cancer that has ramification from our sanctum sanctorum at New Delhi to grass-roots of our democratic institutions, Village Panchayaths, an academic of Indian origin teaching at Maryland University US, after a journey through India, has come out with a novel formula. He was, while in India, harassed by endless extortion demands for public services by petty officials.
It is something like paying back in their coins. But he chose to make the payments in notes, instead of the proverbial coins that make all the difference.
Dr Mohan Bhagat, Professor Physics at University of Maryland, US, has cogently christened his instant remedy as “Zero Rupees”. It has the image of Gandhiji, emblazoned on it. The note looks almost like a currency of Rupees 50 unless you pore over for close scrutiny. Letters of all the four major South Indian Languages appear on the notes meant for respective states, with “Zero Rupees” as common denomination.
Dr Bhagat could not figure out a better way than to pay liberally to the importuning officials that could shame them into not demanding bribes.
The note is not a legal tender but made to look like one. One official in Tamil Nadu (India) was so stunned to receive the note that he handed back all the bribes he had solicited for providing electricity to a village. Another stood up, offered tea to the old lady from whom he was trying to exhort money and approved a loan so her grand-daughter could go to college.
Vijay Anand, co-founder and President of 5th pillar, the NGO who spearheads this novel anti-corruption movement, is confident that the currency note works because corrupt officials so rarely encounter resistance that they get scared when they do. Besides, the ordinary people are more willing to protest since the notes have an organization behind them and they do not feel on their own. He had 25,000 Zero-Rupees notes printed and publicized to mobilize opposition to corruption.
They have named the organization 5th Pillar, to join the league of other 4 pillars of democracy familiar to all. Legislature, Judiciary, Executive and the Press. People’s power is the 5th and the most powerful, they believe.
Will this work? There are sceptics around, but Fumiko Nagano of the World Bank has the answer. Transforming social norms is the key to fighting petty corruption and the notes help that process. They are valueless, but not worthless, says he.
Fifth Pillar contacts
International Headquarters (Washington DC)
1568 Spring Hill Road, Suite 200,
Mclean, VA - 22102
Email Id: ENDcorruption@5thpillar.org
New York
Anand Pandey,
45, W.34th Street,
New York, NY-10001
Email Id: ny@5thpillar.org
India Headquarters
41, Circular Road, United India Colony,
Kodambakkam,
Chennai - 600 024
Phone : 044 65273056
Fax : 044 42133677
Email Id: info@5thpillar.org
New Delhi:
C-23 Ist Floor, Hauz khas,
New Delhi - 110 016
Email Id: delhi@5thpillar.org
Singapore:
Mr. Ravi Padmanabhan
Blk324A, Sengkang Eastway,
#14-523 Singapore 541324
Mobile : 0065 - 98449062
Email Id: ravi.padmanaban@gmail.com |
