Graft flourishing in defence CSD Stores

Graft flourishing in defence canteen stores: Official Himanshi Dhawan, TNN Aug 21, 2012, 03.15AM IST
NEW DELHI: The defense personnel standing guard at the country's border deserve the best. But not everyone appears to agree. The canteen stores department (CSD) run by the defence ministry could be embroiled in gross irregularities in procurement of material that could compromise the health of the armed forces.
Describing CSD as a "labyrinth of corruption" the controller of defense accounts and integrated financial advisor (principal controller) Savitur Prasad has called the procurement system in CSD as "highly opaque, discretionary and providing a high degree of arbitrariness". Through a series of communications the financial advisor has highlighted that procurement and financial norms are being flouted to provide poor quality products to the armed forces. The letters have been accessed through an RTI in response to an application filed by activist Subhash Agrawal.
CSD is the largest supplier of consumer goods and edible products, notably alcohol, for serving and retired defense personnel and their families across the country. The government purchases Rs 10,000 crore worth of material every year and runs about 3,500 units of canteen stores and shops with various military units attached to CSD.
The communication comes to light at a time when the defense establishment is reeling under the impact of last month's CBI raids at its stores in Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Chandigarh following allegations of irregularities in purchases and distribution.
Prasad in a letter dated May 16 has brought to the attention of the defense ministry, including defense secretary, that of the 600 firms supplying more than 4,000 items to CSD almost 200-300 firms do not have established credentials in the market. The letter lists over 80 companies that are little known in the Indian market but supply their products to the armed forces.
He also points at a system of "introducing" items and then deleting them arbitrarily from the system. In the letter he says, "more number of items have been introduced and deleted than the total number of days available in the last three years." According to the data available, 1,844 items have been introduced in the last three years, while 1,288 have been deleted hinting at irregularities in including and excluding products eligible for procurement arbitrarily.
The letter also indicates that a rule that allows the procurement board to disqualify any firm if it makes sales lower than 2% of its value and volume makes it vulnerable for deletion from the eligible list has been misused.
The executive and financial powers exercised by the CSD unit's general manager in placing orders under the category of special and supplementary orders, "reflects mockery of transparency in procurement process" because the orders are made without approval from financial authorities. This, according to Prasad, is in violation of government orders and guidelines issued by CVC.
Graft flourishing in defence canteen stores: Official

PM throws OROP into a Committee's capsule: Will it see daylight?

Highlights of Prime Minister’s Speech on 15 August, 2012

-- You are aware that these days the global economy is passing through a difficult phase. We cannot do much about the conditions that prevail outside our country. But we must make every effort to resolve the problems inside our country so that our economic growth and the creation of employment opportunities in the country are again speeded up.

-- If we do not increase the pace of the country’s economic growth, take steps to encourage new investment in the economy, improve the management of Government finances and work for the livelihood security of the common man and energy security of the country, then it most certainly affects our national security.

-- I believe that this period of difficulties will not last long. Even as we face these problems, we should be encouraged by the fact that we have achieved extraordinary successes in many areas in the last 8 years. We now need to replicate these successes in newer areas.

-- Today, one out of every 5 households in the country has become eligible to benefit from the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Act through a job card. In only the last one year we have provided employment to more than 8 crore people under this scheme.

-- When the UPA Government came to power in 2004, we had promised that we would provide electricity to all villages. To fulfill this promise, we launched the Rajiv Gandhi Rural Electrification Scheme. More than 1 lakh new villages have been provided with electricity connections under this scheme and now almost all the villages in the country have been electrified. Our next target is to provide electricity to each and every household in our country in the next 5 years and to also improve the supply of electricity.

-- Today almost all children in the age group 6-14 years are being admitted to schools. More than 51,000 new schools have been opened in the country and about 7 lakh teachers appointed in them in just the last 2 years. Now we will focus on improving the quality of education. In the next few months we will put in place a system of continuous assessment of the benefit our children are getting from teaching. Participation of the community and parents would be ensured so that they can be satisfied with the quality of teaching.

-- The National Skill Development Council has formulated a major scheme for skill development in which 8 crore people will be trained in the next 5 years. This is an ambitious scheme which can be implemented only through a specialized agency of the Central Government. Therefore, we are considering the establishment of a National Skill Development Authority so that skill development programmes all over the country can be implemented in a coordinated manner.

-- Recently we have taken new measures to accelerate infrastructure development. Ambitious targets have been fixed in roads, airports, railways, electricity generation and coal production. The Government will take steps to increase investment for infrastructure development with the help of the private sector. To attract foreign capital, we will have to create confidence at the international level that there are no barriers to investment in India.

-- Just 10 years back only 3 out of every 10 households in our villages were benefitting from banking services. Today more than half of the rural households get the benefit of bank accounts. It will be our endeavour to ensure that all households benefit from bank accounts in the next 2 years.

-- We want to create a system in which money from Government schemes - pension for old people, scholarship for students and wages for labourers - can be credited directly into people’s bank accounts. This would reduce inconvenience to the beneficiaries, make it easy for them to receive payment and increase transparency. For this work, we will take help from the Aadhar scheme under which about 20 crore people have been registered so far.

-- To provide housing for our poor brothers and sisters residing in urban areas of our country we will soon launch the Rajiv Housing Loan Scheme. Under this scheme, people belonging to the economically weaker sections would be given relief on interest for housing loans of less than Rs. 5 lakh.

--The incidents of violence which occurred in Assam recently are very unfortunate. I know that these incidents have resulted in the disruption of the lives of a large number of people. We fully sympathize with those families which have been affected by the violence. We are doing everything possible to provide relief to them. I also promise to you that our Government will make every effort to understand the reasons behind the violence and work hard with the State Governments to ensure that such incidents are not repeated in any part of the country.

--I would like to congratulate our scientists and technologists who have enhanced our prestige by successfully testing the Agni V Missile and launching the RISAT- I Satellite in space this year. Recently the Cabinet has approved the Mars Orbiter Mission. Under this Mission, our spaceship will go near Mars and collect important scientific information. This spaceship to Mars will be a huge step for us in the area of science and technology.

--Our Government has set up a committee to examine issues relating to pay and pension of armed forces personnel. This committee will also look into matters concerning pension of retired men and officers and family pension being paid to their families. We will take prompt action on the recommendations of the committee, once they are received.

--Our commitment to make the work of the Government and administration transparent and accountable stands. On the last Independence Day, I promised you that we would take many steps for this purpose. I am happy to state that during the last 1 year we have achieved good progress in this area. The Lok Sabha has cleared the Lokpal and Lokayukta Bill. We hope that all political parties will help us in passing this Bill in the Rajya Sabha. A number of other Bills have also been presented before the Parliament. The Cabinet has cleared a Public Procurement Bill. *** MP/RCJ/SC/SH/SKS/RK/SK/LM (Release ID :86183)
Highlights of Prime Minister’s Speech on 15 August, 2012

Antony urges top brass of Armed Forces to be honest and transparent

Ministry of Defence 24-April, 2012 15:39 IST : Core Values not to be Given up in Modernisation Process: Antony
The Defence Minister Shri A.K. Antony today told the top brass of Armed Forces that while modernization remains the topmost priority of the Government and to achieve the same a mechanism has been put in place to fast track procurement of equipment and upgradation of infrastructure, this however cannot be done at the cost of a set of core values- transparency, probity and accountability. Addressing the Unified Commander’s Conference, here, Shri Antony urged all commanders to ensure that these principles are adopted and followed in letter and spirit. “We have a collective responsibility to ensure that every single rupee is spent meaningfully and judiciously and wasteful expenditure is eliminated”.

Shri Antony said, the Government is constantly fine tuning the Defence Procurement Procedure to cut down delays in procurement process. He asked the Services to put their best foot forward by having a well-defined approach to procurement, based on clear and objective General Staff Qualitative Requirements (GSQRs). He said there is also a need to ensure that procedures are strictly adhered to and the Services ensure the timely meeting of technical parameters.

Referring to a nationwide, secure and dedicated optical fibre network, to be implemented by the Ministry of Communication & Information Technology, in lieu of the vacation of a part of spectrum by Defence Services, Shri Antony said the approval of Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure for the budget is awaited. He said, the “defence band” and the “defence interest zone” have been mutually agreed upon by the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Communication & Information Technology to meet the spectrum requirement for strategic communication of defence forces and this will be promulgated soon. Shri Antony said, while on the one hand IT has helped in breaking down linguistic and geographic barriers and resulted in a level playing field, on the other hand, Information and Communication Technology are also being misused by anti–social and anti-national elements. Describing Cyber-crimes as another dimension in the security architecture, Shri Antony said the Services need to be fully aware of the implications and put in place security systems and standard operating procedures to counter such threats.

Talking about the neighborhood, the Defence Minister said latest events in the Af-Pak region clearly show that it cannot be presumed that the Af-Pak issues are nearing solution. He said we need to keep a close watch on the situation in the region as any developments in the Af-Pak region will have strategic and security implications for India. Referring to Jammu and Kashmir, Shri Antony said the situation in the State has improved over the past few years. However, the coming summer months will prove to be a real test for an even more realistic assessment. “We have to remain vigilant and active and cannot afford to drop our guard”, he said.

Shri Antony, at the very outset, congratulated all Scientists, technicians and other DRDO personnel for the successful flight test of Agni –V and said, this significant achievement has done the entire nation and our Armed Forces proud. SitanshuKar/NA (Release ID :82460)
Core Values not to be Given up in Modernisation Process: Antony

DGR graduating to transparent corruption

'Serious fraud probe' into ex-servicemen job scam
New Delhi: The Defence Ministry on Sunday handed over the probe into a job racket for ex-servicemen to the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) in the Corporate Affairs Ministry.
Several senior officers of the Directorate General Resettlement (DGR) have been found guilty in an internal inquiry.
The case involves a private company, Ex-Servicemen Airlink Transport Service Pvt Ltd (EATS), and the fraud took place under a scheme for ex-servicemen.
Under the scheme, security agencies run by retired defence personnel were given contracts to provide service to central public sector undertakings.
The Defence Ministry found substance in allegations of subletting of security agencies for obtaining multiple benefits by a few officers of the ex-servicemen welfare department.
"The Defence Ministry has decided to request the Ministry of Corporate Affairs to hand over to the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) the case relating to private company EATS for further investigation," a Defence Ministry spokesperson said.
"Action is also being initiated against the officers mentioned in the inquiry report who flouted the extant norms and guidelines of various schemes, and thus were involved in administrative improprieties," the spokesman said in a statement.
The move comes as the Defence Ministry initiated a series of measures after an inquiry found substance in allegations regarding subletting of security agencies and obtaining multiple benefits by a few ex-servicemen officers.
This was part of a drive to ensure transparency in the functioning of DGR office.
DGR is an attached office of department of ex-servicemen welfare, which is responsible for training and rehabilitation of retiring defence personnel and ex-servicemen through various self employment schemes.
One of these schemes relate to providing security services to central public sector undertakings through security agencies run by ex-servicemen.
"The essence of inquiry and its analysis is that in the last couple of years, efforts have been made to introduce as much transparency in the manner of the functioning of the DGR office.
"These efforts have been stepped up both by the department and the director general since the notification of DGR as an attached office of the department of ex-servicemen welfare in January 2009," he said. IANS
Comment
Col Amarjit Singh - New Delhi
I have not seen a more unhelpful, ruderless and a more incompetent organisation that demoralizes its officers with vague rules and regulations and has a big zero in its track records as far as marketing excellent officers for occupations they richly deserve, Sorry state of affairs.
DGR under investigation for serious fraud

Address by President on 65th I-Day eve

Corruption is a cancer affecting our nation’s political, economic, cultural and social life. It is necessary to eliminate it. Government, Parliament, Judiciary and society at large, should ponder about this, and find out ways to handle it in a manner that is practical, implementable and sustainable. There cannot be just one panacea or remedy to deal with it, but a system of transparency and accountability should be put in place at various levels, and, then, effectively enforced. It would require preventive and punitive measures, as well as adoption of rational approaches as we pursue the anti-corruption agenda. India is known for its sobriety and wisdom, balanced and sensible thinking. As is said in one of our shlokas, “अति सर्वत्र वर्जयेत ”, which means that anything in extreme should be avoided. We need strong institutions and we need good governance in the country. Our institutions need to be fortified and our governance constantly improved. We should analyze the situation and find considered solutions to address the challenges we are facing in a thoughtful manner.

Dear Citizens,
I recall the words of Swami Vivekanand, “this national ship of ours my countrymen, has been plying for ages, carrying civilization and enriching the whole world with its inestimable treasures.” Dear Citizens, the challenge for us, is how effectively we carry forward the nation from now onwards. Let history be the judge that during our time, we found the right answers to the challenges we faced, and acquitted ourselves with dignity and continued to work with unity, to build the India of our dreams.

Dawn will break tomorrow and our flag will flutter. Whatever task you are doing in the interest of the country is important, and I call on all citizens to pledge, that they will work with full commitment and dedication, honesty and integrity and with a sense of pride. If we do this, there is much that we will be able to achieve as a nation.

With these words, I wish all citizens the very best on the occasion of Independence Day. JAI HIND!
Click for full transcript- Address by President on 65th I-Day eve

RMS team wishes all its readers a very Happy 65th Independence Day.

Transparency Revolution: Are the Armed Forces and ESM Organisations in the loop?

A transparency revolution is on, but India not ready, says Antony
In a fresh take on the corruption debate, Defence Minister A K Antony on Wednesday said that the nation is going through a “transparency revolution” and while there is some resistance by those who wield power, the transition to more openness cannot be stopped.
The minister said the transition is facing problems as those in key positions are still not ready for more transparency. “There is transition everywhere now, transition to this transparency revolution. India is not ready, Indian society is not ready, politicians, business people, bureaucrats, journalists, armed forces... all those holding key positions in India are still not ready for this transition,” Antony, known for his strong anti- corruption stance, said.
Antony said that while there are “some problems” in this transition period, this is another phase of the Indian democracy. “After a few years, this (resistance) will settle but transition will go on and I am very happy about it,” the minister said. He was speaking to the media after inaugurating a new conference hall at the Press Club of India.
A transparency revolution is on, but India not ready, says Antony
Related Reading
Anti-corruption mood in the country, says N. Ram

Welfare Organisations for Veterans
Most of these Organisations like AWHO, CSD (I), Military Sponsored Clubs, Sainik Boards, ECHS needs to gear up to meet the aspirations and challenges of the Veterans. Even few ESM Organisations with laudable mission statement on paper do not inspire; as the governing bodies, who wield power do not want to let go- like the sports bodies!

PM assures industry of corruption-free environment

Friday 01 April 2011
Is PM Blinded by Corruption?
Amid corporate honchos being questioned in connection with 2G scam case by agencies, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday assured a "nervous industry" that the government is committed to creating a corruption-free environment to ensure the industry moved ahead without fear.
"I am aware of the nervousness in some sections of the corporate sector arising out of some recent unfortunate developments. We stand committed to ensuring that our industry moves ahead with confidence and without fear or apprehensions," Dr. Singh said addressing a meeting of the Council on Industry and Trade.
The government is mulling all measures, administrative and legislative, to tackle corruption and better transparency, he said at the meeting which was attended by Ratan Tata, Rahul Bajaj, Azim Premji, Sunil Bharti Mittal, Deepak Parekh, Swati Piramal and Kumarmangalam Birla, among others.
CBI has recently questioned various industry leaders in connection with the 2G spectrum allocation scam. The Public Accounts Committee of Parliament has also called them for questioning on the issue. In January this year, a group of prominent personalities, including industrialists Azim Premji, Keshub Mahindra and Deepak Parekh, had expressed concern over a series of scams leading to "governance deficit". They had asked the government to deal with burning issues like corruption immediately. In an 'open letter' addressed to the leaders, they had said: "We are alarmed at the widespread governance deficit almost in every sphere of national activity covering the government, the business and the institutions. Widespread discretionary decision-making have been routinely subjected to extraneous influences.
Singh also assured the industry on continuation of economic reforms." "Whenever I meet representatives from our industry and businesses, the question I am most often asked is whether economic reforms will continue."
"You should have no doubt on this score. The economic reforms of the past have brought us advantageous and I can assure you that we will continue traveling on this path. We might do it gradually and in a manner which builds a consensus for economic and social change", he said. (SP-31/03)
PM assures industry of corruption-free environment
Comment: An Absolutely Honest Dr Manmohan Singh is totally confused by corruption and economics. Blinded by Black Money, Hawala Transanctions, Money Launderers, Terror financing, Swiss Secret Accounts- Blinded can he perceive Transparency? Why is Jan Lok Pal Bill not being passed to put the criminals and corrupt behind bars and ensure accelerated GDP Growth- Is that not simple mathematics and economics?

Military resisting reforms remains mired in mediocrity

Response to article: Selecting Top Brass
Sir,
I must compliment you for providing a platform for healthy debate on issues of importance to the services. My response to the comments of Lt Gen Sharma is given below. Kindly have it circulated as well.
Warm regards,
Maj Gen Mrinal Suman

This refers to Lt Gen YN Sharma’s response to my article (click here). With due respect to his valued comments, I stand by every word of my article. I wish Gen Sharma had countered my arguments rather than talk of ‘evolution’ and ‘resilience’ of the system.
I agree that empanelment of Lt Gens is based on a ‘multi-level selection process involving Service HQ/MOD/ACC’. But, what happens after that? Lt Gen is the last rung of the merit-based ladder. Thereafter it is one’s date of birth that drives promotions – three years of residual service makes one a Corps Cdr and two years residual service makes one an Army Cdr. One may become the Chief if one was born later than other Army Cdrs. Where is merit?
Gen Sharma has quoted a few cases of alleged supersession which occurred decades ago. I do not know about the others but Lt Gens Balaram and Tuli were granted Army Cdr's status and pension as PSOs because they did not have required residual service to serve as Army Cdrs. That was done as a very special case. They were not superseded on merit or the lack of it. Both would have made outstanding Army Cdrs. On the other hand I can cite numerous cases where rare talent was lost. Lt Gen Narahari was one such person. That was my primary point which unfortunately remains unanswered.
It is a common sight to see senior officers huddled over seniority lists in lunch break in Delhi ticking names of likely Corps and Army Cdrs based on their inter-se age profile. It is a simple case of ‘vacancy vs date-of-birth’ match making. Every Lt Gen stands in a queue awaiting vacancy to occur before his age runs out. Today, everyone knows who the next Chiefs would be as they know the ‘age-queue’. Merit is no criteria at all. It is hard to believe that during the last 30 years (since Lt Gen Sinha’s supersession) every senior- most Army Cdr was the most competent officer to be the Chief.
Interestingly, a capable officer is refused Army Cdr’s appointment on the plea that he cannot provide two years continuous service. Yet, nearly every Army Cdr is shifted after one year in a game of musical chairs. ARTRAC has had 15 Army Cdrs in a span of 19 years – an average tenure of little over a year. What continuity are we talking about? As regards parochialism of some Chiefs, kindly refer to my article “Let Parochialism not Afflict the Services” (circulated by Brig Kamboj).
Finally, I must add that I am a proud Sapper officer and was never in the run for the appointments discussed. Therefore, I cannot be accused of subjectivity and attempting to ‘subvert the system’. With due respect to Gen Sharma’s views, it will be wrong to term suggestions for reforms as ‘growing exuberance/ cynicism/ intemperance’. Reforms help in evolution of institutions rather than ‘hurting the nobility and grace of our ethos’. Any institution that swears by status-quo and resists reforms remains mired in mediocrity. It is certainly a dangerous proposition for our much-admired Army.

Growing Crisis of Morality in the Indian Armed Forces Leadership

Dear Chander,
Two interesting and vividly written articles on the scams troubling our Defence Forces lately, one each by Maj Gen APS Chauhan (Former Chairman COAS Complaints Advisory Board) & Col SK agarwal (ex JAG Br) published in e-paper The Tribune, Chandigarh, dated 12 Nov 2010, are linked below. I feel that it desirable to circulate these through RMS blog for info of all.
With warm regards,
Maj Bhupal Singh, Veteran

GROWING CRISIS OF MORALITY by Maj Gen A.P.S. Chauhan (Retd)
Friday, November 12, 2010, Chandigarh, India
What has come to surface as series of misdeeds and misconduct at the highest level of military establishment, now with the chiefs as dramatis personae resorting to indulgence in satiating petty greed, is far from mere illegal transactions for appropriating assets not lawfully entitled to. It is an unimaginable misdemeanor, not in terms of material value or commission and omission in a state of forgetfulness as may be contrived, but in the impulse to commit the very act. This indicts these officers of willful disdain for military virtues and self-discipline in their own character when they are the custodians for ensuring the same in others.

Character is the keystone of the profession of arms and embedded in military virtues. These are not individual cases as one may believe, but group tendencies in a cycle of exposures over a period and a dangerous fall out from protracted corrosion in officer discipline and leadership accountability, with the military code shifting loyalty to fulfill personal agendas. When heads should have rolled at the top, it was never done.

TARNISHED BRASS: Some recent cases of professional impropriety by generals:

Adarsh Housing Society case : Large number of senior military officers, including service chiefs allegedly got flats in a Mumbai housing project that was initially conceived for families of Kargil heros, but later subverted to suit interests of influential people. The 38-story high-rise is under the scanner for building violations and also for posing a security risk as it overlooks army and navy installations.

Sukhna Land Scam : Three lieutenant generals and a major general among others indicted by a court of inquiry irregularities in issuing a NOC to a private party for commercial use of land adjoining a sensitive army station. Lt Gen Avadesh Prakash and Lt Gen P.K. Rath facing court martial.

Dry Ration and Frozen Meat Scam : Two lieutenant generals, S.K Sahni and S.K. Dhaiya from the Army Service Corps indicted for irregularities. Sahni being tried by a court martial while Dahiya got a reprimand.

Liquor Scam : Maj Gen G.I. Singh cashiered and awarded two years RI for illegally selling canteen liquor in the open market.

Procurement of UN Mission Supplies : Two major generals, Anil Swarup and S.P Sinha belonging to the Army ordnance Corps indicted for procuring items at highly inflated prices. Court martial proceedings against Swarup underway.

Molestation Case : Maj Gen A.K. Lal cashiered by general court martial for allegedly molesting a woman captain.

Tehelka Episode : Maj Gen P.S.K. Choudhry cashiered and awarded one year RI for demanding and accepting bribes from fictitious arms dealers.

Disproportionate Assets : Maj Gen Anand Kapur from the Army Service Corps booked by the CBI for allegedly possessing assets disproportionate to known sources of income.

JAG’s case : Maj Gen Nilendra Kumar, head of the Judge Advocate General’s Department awared Army Chief’s censure for several counts of impropriety.
(Several cases are pending before High Courts and the Armed Forces Tribunals, seeking a stay on or quashing of proceedings)

That these generals have been hoodwinking a practically foolproof selection procedure and drawing benefits from apparently flawed appraisals could not have happened without collusive or tacit abetment at the political -bureaucratic level that exercises primacy over all decision-making. For instance in the 90s an officer who should have been dismissed for cowardice in field rose to the level of army commander by dubious doctoring of his record because he was connected to a defence secretary. This happened in tandem with granting indiscreet favour to another who was connected to a political party. In another example, a defence minister colluded with brass on import of coffins. The previous army chief was under a cloud for transactions while as army commander, actually sabotaging an inquiry that could have pinned him down, but was shielded by the ministry.

The onus for arresting the fall from grace lies directly on the government that seems to be making a mockery of running a nation with an unabated tide of misdemeanors in its corridors. Time has come to roll heads. The generals involved must pay dearly for the shame they have brought to the profession of arms and its standing. In the meanwhile the Chief, having resolved and pledged to cleanse the institution, must be given unfretted support by the Government and the institution to purge the system, restore credibility and accountability with assured non-interference by politicians.
The writer is former chairman of the COAS Complaints Advisory Board
Read the complete version:
GROWING CRISIS OF MORALITY by Maj Gen A.P.S. Chauhan (Retd)

Plugging loopholes in the system
Corruption in the public life is well documented but it is just not acceptable in the armed forces for the very simple reason that the nation can ill afford to hand over security of the country's borders in the hands of corrupt officers. Such elements need to be weeded out, dealt with a firm hand, while honest officers and whistle blowers respected and rewarded to restore the trust and confidence of the public in the armed forces.
The writer retired from the Judge Advocate General's Department
Read more:
Plugging loopholes in the system by Col S.K. Aggarwal (Retd)

Vice President releases ‘India Corruption Study 2007’

Extract of Shri M Hamid Ansari, Vice President address:

Over the years Transparency International India has done commendable work to quantify corruption, described by the Xth Plan as the ‘most endemic and entrenched manifestation of poor governance’. The focus of this latest report is on analysing the misery caused by corruption to the poorest of the land, for accessing the most basic of services. What are the findings? They cover five basic services – PDS, hospital, school education, electricity, and water supply - and six need-based services – police, land records, forests, housing, banking and NREGS. In specific terms, they reveal:

About one-third of BPL households paid bribes to avail one or more of these eleven services.

The benefits of recent steps taken to improve delivery of public services have not substantially percolated down to the poor as yet.

Nearly two-third of BPL households could not avail of PDS, School Education and Electricity as they could not pay the bribe or use contact or influence to avail of the service.

The situation stands at an alarming level with regard to police and Land Record/Registration.

I am confident that both the government and civil society would take the Study and these suggested correctives seriously. An old maxim states that eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. In today’s world, it is also insurance for proper governance. In the final analysis, good governance involves meaningful response to the public’s desire for clear, effective, and transparent governance. I commend the effort of Transparency International India and Centre for Media Studies and thank Admiral Tahiliani for inviting me today.

Read full address at India Corruption Study 2007

Comment: A similar study needs to be undertaken by the Ministry of Defence in respect of working of Zilla Sainik Boards all over India, with a view to streamlining and eliminating corruption so that the innocent Jawans do not fall prey for whose welfare the organisational set up exists.

Governance and Transparency

One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors. Plato

It's not the voting that's democracy; it's the counting. Tom Stoppard

For in reason, all government without the consent of the governed is the very definition of slavery. Jonathan Swift

I'm tired of hearing it said that democracy doesn't work. Of course it doesn't work. We are supposed to work it. Alexander Woollcott

Here is my first principle of foreign policy: good government at home. William Ewart Gladstone

Laws too gentle are seldom obeyed; too severe, seldom executed. Benjamin Franklin

Work and creativity are what built this country- not money. Karl Hess

The first sign of corruption in a society that is still alive is that the end justifies the means. Georges Bernanos

Bureaucracy is the epoxy that greases the wheels of progress. Dr Jim Boren

Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. Justice Louis D Brandeis

Corruption and hypocrisy out not to be inevitable products of democracy, as they undoubtadly are today. Mahatma Gandhi

The accomplice to the crime of corruption is frequently our own indifference. Bess Myerson

The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently. Friedrich Nietzsche

Corruption never has been compulsory. Anthony Eden

The Romans, like others, as soon as they grew rich, grew corrupt; and in their corruption sold the lives and freedoms of themselves, and of one another. Thomas Blackwell

There are, in every age, new errors to be rectified, and new prejudices to be opposed. Johnson

No people can be great who have ceased to be virtuous. Johnson

Good government is no substitute for self- government. Mahatma Gandhi

There are two kinds of people- those who do the work and those who take the credit. Try to be in the first group, there is less competition there. Indira Gandhi

Praise and money, the two powerful corrupters of mankind. Samuel Johnson

An evil- disposed citizen cannot affect any changes for the worse in a republic, unless it be already corrupt. Machiavelli

Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder. George Washington

A minister who moves about in society is in a position to read the signs of the times even in a festive gathering, but one who remains shut up in his office learns nothing. Duc de Choiseul

Politics is more difficult than physics. Albert Einstein

All political power is a trust. Charles James Fox

He serves his party best who serves the country best. Rutherford Birchard Hayes

Politics can only be a small part of what we are. It's a way of seeing, it's not all- seeing in itself. Brian Keenan

Those who would tread politics and morality apart will never understand the one or the other. John Morley

Better a hundred times an honest and capable administration of an erroneous policy than a corrupt and incapable administration of a good one. Edward J Phelps

Political necessities sometimes turn out to be political mistakes. George Bernard Shaw

At a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. George Orwell

All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed, and third, it is accepted as self- evident. Schopenhauer

We have no constitution which functions in the absence of a moral people. John Adams

Bureaucracies are designed to perform public business. But as soon as a bureaucracy is established, it develops an autonomous spiritual life and comes to regard the public as the enemy. Brooks Atkinson

What is government itself but the greatest of all reflections upon human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. James Madison

Whatever is morally wrong can never be politically right. Abraham Lincoln

Those who talk about the peoples of our day being given up to robbery and similar vices will find that they are all due to the fact that those who ruled them behaved in like manner. Niccolo Machiavelli

There are several good protections against temptations, but the surest is cowardice. Mark Twain

Liberty has never come from the government. Liberty has always come from the subjects of it. Woodrow Wilson

Far more has been accomplished for the welfare and progress of mankind by preventing bad actions than by doing good ones. William Lyon

Knowledge is the true organ of sight, not the eyes. Panchantantra

The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws. Publius Cornelius Tacitus

All bad precedents began as justifiable measures. Gaius Julius Caesar

It is said that power corrupts, but actually it's more true that power attracts the corruptible. The sane are usually attracted by other things than power. David Brin

The deterioration of every government begins with the decay of the principles on which it was founded. C L De Montesquieu

You can't get rich in politics unless you're a crook. Harry S Truman

Politics, n. Strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. Ambrose Bierce

We can’t solve the problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them. Albert Einstein

When buying and selling are controlled by legislation, the first thing to be bought and sold are legislators. P J O'Rourke

India Together

Audience
India Together provides information and news on issues that matter to discerning readers. Stories and articles are categorized over 15 major developmental topics, and also over the states of India. Because of a simple, easy-to-access website and the exclusive focus on the public interest and development, readers go away feeling they’ve been informed by an intense but well designed magazine. Equally, also provide help developmental and policy experts, academicians and scholars and leading journalists take their ideas, research and public interest concerns expeditiously to a broad and interested national and global audience.

Readership
From a few thousand readers per month in 2001, India Together reached an online readership of 10000 visitors in 2002, 25,000 in mid 2004 and was counting around 30000 visitors per month in December 2004. The fortnightly newsletter goes out to over 3500 subscribers as of December 2004, and is growing every day. As of mid 2007 the website was logging approximately 110,000 visitors each month, and readership has grown steadily for the past three years at about 35 percent annually.

Editors
The editors of India Together are ever accessible to authors and readers and interact with them as partners with timeliness and professionalism. Every item on the website is categorized so that specialist readers can access information in their favourite issue pages, while general readers can access the latest from the front pages and regional pages.

Goal
It is continuing goal to ensure that India Together will inform on development and policy issues with expertise, public interest focus, content packaging, and non- profit operational transparency of the highest standards.

Subramaniam Vincent co founder says:
Hello and welcome. I am a co-founder of India Together and one of the lead editors of this publication. I believe that an original purpose of journalism is to cover society in proportion to its many realities and provide information to citizens so that they may be free and self-governing.

Aswin Mahesh co founder says:
Hello and welcome to my homepage. I am a co-founder of India Together and one of its lead editors. I am interested in the potential of information and communication, coupled with technology and management, to promote the public good in India. Most of my writing on these pages is in the form of editorials I have written with my friend and fellow lead editor, Subramaniam Vincent.

Reader funded
India Together is a public interest reader financed online magazine published by Civil Society Information Exchange Private Ltd, Bangalore. Because the maximisation of revenue in itself is not an objective, it is envisaged to use revenues to increase our coverage of public interest issues, and to broaden the range of ways in which content is packaged for the audience.

Independence
While it is possible to fund much of the work through either a required subscription fee or from commercial advertising revenues, reader funding helps keep the editorial independence, and allows editors the luxury of not having to run non serious content (such as entertainment or sport) that would dilute the focus on important issues.

Visit: India Together

Comments
Accounts
An excellent website, but what caught my attention is the display of its yearly financial accounts. This is really unique and a trendsetter for others to emulate. The Armed Forces has so many Welfare organisations in public domain and functioning under The Societies Registration Act 1860 (non profit organistions). Seldom we get to know either the financial accounts (sources of income and expenditure) or the beneficiaries. It should be made mandatory under the RTI Act to have accounts of all welfare organisations Registered under the Society Act 1860 to be transparent and display the yearly finanicial income, sources and expenditure.