Manmohanisation of Demonetisation

"These measures convince me that the way this scheme has been implemented, it’s a monumental management failure, and in fact is a case of organised loot and plunder."

Manmohan Singh, Former Prime Minister And Congress Party Member

Two-time PM, Finance Minister, RBI Governor, Economics from Cambridge that is Dr. Manmohan Singh. Knows more economics than BJP all together! India's reform architect Ex-Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh trashed PM Modi's cash crackdown and rightly called Demonetisation as'organised "Loot & Legalised Plunder", Ringing words from an economist and a wise man, delivered in his usual low key style.An eye opener on failed Modi Govt. The Econimist demanded basic answers to basic questions, spoke for common man's suffering and tyranny of demonetisation.

when Dr Manmohan Singh was speaking in the Parliament, Modi & Co., looks like thinking about their Poor Education

Singh ended his speech urging Modi to find "practical and pragmatic" ways to relieve the people in distress.

I conclude that it is not my goal to pick holes in what one side does or another side does but I sincerely hope that the Prime Minister will view at this late hour, will help us to find practical pragmatic ways and means to provide relief to the suffering people of this country.

Manmohan Singh, Former Prime Minister and Congress Party Member
http://www.tehelka.com/2016/11/rss-bjp-tear-into-manmohan-singh-oppn-demands-pm-to-apologise/

Kanpur Train Tragedy - Tragic reminder of inapt priorities in India

Deeply pained and saddened to hear about the derailment of the Patna Indore express that has claimed so many lives. My condolences to the bereaved families. I pray for speedy recovery of those injured in the accident of Patna-Indore express.

While i was waking up to enjoy a beautiful sunday with my loved ones , Many Families were destroyed Many people were dead ,( As I am writing this, the Number had reached 140) and some taking their last breath. Their last journey....

The disaster took place just a little after 0300 hrs when the passengers were jolted out of their sleep as the Patna-bound train jumped the tracks, badly damaging four ordinary sleeper coaches in which hundreds were trapped. 

Of the four coaches, the S1 and S2 had telescoped into each other, I am Yet to Understand who excactly responsible for more than 100 innocents who got killed in this tragic incident even after i have heard many such incidents in past years, when we rightfully react when any Indian soldier is killed. But, are Only soldiers are humans and those people were not?

Patna Indore Express Tragedy serves as a tragic reminder of inapt priorities before we look out for Bullet Trains, when some people are Dreaming of bullet train, here people die while they are asleep.

Even this Terrible news and incident  had a chance for politicians to politicise the incident and they will do so always. Blaming every thing under sun but they themselves. There was also Appalling and Horrifying news of Victims / survivors getting old currency notes of Rs 500/1000 as 'immediate Relief". Why not deposit compensation amount directly in their bank or Jan Dhan A/cs? Why pay cash, old or new notes?

After every train accident Rail minister or PM announce 2 or 3 lacs as compensation, when a bread winner of family member dies 2 or 3 lacs will never solve the financial problem of the remaining. Apart from compensation Railway Ministry shall give job to a direct relative of the victims family,or  monthly fund shall be granted.

May the Almighty Bless us All.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wICuoLv2bzQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwyFVwVTBkA

Read My Blog - Kanpur Train Tragedy - Tragic reminder of inapt priorities in India - http://jameelblr.blogspot.in/2016/11/kanpur-train-tragedy-patna-indore.html 

Preventing and management is the key to tackle Diabetes

Since 2006 the World Health Organisation and United Nations together worked to pass a resolution to celebrate World Diabetes Day. The main objective is to create awareness on diabetes and to take action to tackle this global health issue. India being home to 60 million diabetic patients, the largest country to have highest number of patients has launched many programmes to address this non-communicable disease.

Diabetes occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin (type 1 diabetes), or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces (type 2 diabetes). This leads to raised blood glucose (sugar) level and over time, serious damage to many of the body's systems, especially the nerves and blood vessels. In India, the type 2 diabetes is on the increase among the younger age group due to intake of high calorie diet and sedentary lifestyle.

In our country, diabetes is not restricted to affluent class of people. Even the lower middle class and poor sections of the society are also victims of this disease in large number.

Diabetes becomes more complicated as the health care systems are unable to diagnose the presence of the disease at early stage. Almost fifty per cent of the people suffering from diabetes are unaware of the presence of disease. Early identification of the person suffering from this disease is the key to effective management of the disease.

Recognising this fact, the union health and family welfare minister Shri J.P. Nadda has called for implementing the programme to screen the mass population to identify the onset of disease. He has also recently launched the M-Diabetes initiative, which aims at harnessing the mobile network to tackle the disease. With a missed call to 011-22901701 the caller can get basic information about the disease and how to manage it.

Why there is such large number of people suffering from diabetes in our country? In addition to life style causes, Indians have high genetic susceptibility towards this disease. It is estimated that between 12 to 18 per cent of adult population living in urban areas are suffering from diabetes. More young people will be joining the ranks in the coming years with high levels of obesity being reported among the children.

Diabetes also leads to complications leading to kidney failure, requiring huge dialysis costs. It also causes retinopathy leading to vision loss in adult working population. It may also increase the chances of cardiovascular disease and heart attacks.

According to World Economic Forum, the economic burden of the diabetes alone will be USD 0.15 trillion per year. As the average health costs of diabetes patient is three times higher than a normal person, with an estimated cost of Rs 10000 per annum required for treatment. As poorer patients cannot afford the high costs, non compliance leads to severe complications, adversely affecting the working life of those suffering from diabetes.

The National Health Missions launched by Government of India has established special cells at state and district levels to tackle the disease. Early detection using inexpensive technologies and through affordable medications the government is trying to implement programme to prevent and manage the disease.

Adopting a healthy diet comprising of balanced portion of carbohydrates, protein and fats is essential to prevent the onset of the disease. Physical activity, body weight exercise and a regular practice of yoga regime has to become part of everyday life so that the disease is kept away. This will help to keep the blood sugar under control and a diabetic can lead a normal healthy life. There is possibility of reducing 80 percent of type 2 diabetes through preventive measures.

Keeping in view the enormity of situation, Government of India has adopted multi-pronged strategy to combat the menace of diabetes. While celebrating National Ayurveda Day on October 28, 2016 the theme was ‘prevention and control of diabetes through ayurveda’. Shri Shripad Naik, Minister of state for AYUSH said “Ayureveda touches the entire way of life and therefore, we should look towards it not only for the treatment but also for the promotion of healthy life”.

The National Research Development Corporation, a wing of Ministry of Science and Technology is propagating commercialisation of Ayush -82, an ayurvedic formulation for prevention and management of diabetes at affordable price. They are popularising this medicine through giving advisements in national newspapers to reach maximum number of people.

Thus the Government of India has launched integrated approach to prevent and control the diabetes. However, in order to succeed there is need for many sectors in the society, employers, civil society and private sector to play active role towards achieving this objective.

No, the poor arent sleeping peacefully:

The rich and the middle class have their digital wallets and credit cards; they can afford to wait two weeks, even 50 days, for their money to be exchanged

One has to be astonishingly callous or exceptionally removed from reality to think that the poor are sleeping peacefully and only the rich are frightened, needing sleeping pills in the wake of the great currency-exchange drama playing out in India. For that’s what it is; old notes are being replaced with new, and a new note of even higher value is being added.

But the fantasy description of blissfully asleep poor and terrified rich is just that—a fantasy. Even a quick look at the videos being circulated of the people queueing up to change their money shows their frustration and anxiety; and even if they aren’t below poverty line, they aren’t rich.

Indeed, the rich and the middle class have their digital wallets and credit cards; they can afford to wait two weeks, even 50 days, for their money to be exchanged. It is the day-wage labourers who suffer—three of whom are given a Rs1,000 note to cover their wages; the security guard who needs smaller bills with which to pay a hospital which would otherwise not do an MRI scan of his seven-year-old son who has a lung disease, and who breaks down; the children on the street who sell toys and flowers and pirated books but no longer earn enough to eat because nobody has the small change to buy their meagre offerings; they bear the burden of the sloppy planning.

Indeed, black money is a real problem. But statistics show that only a small part of it is kept in cash—by some accounts, 6%. Black money resides abroad too, but a large amount of it sits in India, as gold deposits, as land banks, as benami assets. Focusing on cash is like trying to catch the tiger by his tail.

There is also the question of what constitutes high-value currency. Indeed, currency notes of Rs500 and Rs1,000 are of the highest value in India, but they constitute more than 80% of the value of currency in circulation. When the Janata Party demonetized notes valued at Rs5,000 and Rs10,000, the amounts were worth about $640 and $1,280, respectively, at approximately Rs7.8 a dollar. Today’s “high” value notes are worth $7.38 (Rs500) and $14.75 (Rs1,000), respectively. That is still a lot of money for those who are absolutely poor, but those amounts aren’t high value for what they can buy.

And despite the efforts of banks and successive governments, a large part of India is still unbanked; an overwhelmingly large proportion of transactions—by some accounts, 90%—takes place in cash; smart technology notwithstanding, Internet connectivity in rural India (even parts of urban India) remains spotty, and there are too few automated teller machines for a country of India’s size and a very small proportion can be found in rural India. And the ones that exist aren’t designed to handle such intense use, most of them aren’t configured to slot the new Rs2,000 notes—which do not have microchips.

The government has sucked in liquidity from the country for the ostensibly laudable—but apparent—aim of eradicating black money, which has unnerved the poor who simply do not have the “working capital”—cash reserves—to tide over what is uncaringly referred to as “temporary inconvenience”. Yes, people are looking after each other and using barter, trusting customers and neighbours, and living on credit. But that’s relying on the kindness of strangers. Indians do it all the time. When there is a cyclone, neighbours look after each other because the State hasn’t reached the remote areas. But this is a cyclone caused by the State, whose responsibility is to protect the people, not to place them at a greater risk.

The prime minister feels the pain, but it is his own pain. His voice breaks and he says dramatically that the forces he has taken on may not let him live. Meanwhile, by one estimate, 33 Indians have died due to stress, heart attack, or anxiety; there is a report of at least one suicide. Each of those deaths was avoidable.

We don’t know what the economic consequences of this exercise will be. But if liquidity is drained off temporarily as a shock measure and then re-injected, there is no guarantee that the small businesses which have collapsed will be the ones which will get revived. Economic experiments are fine in safe lab conditions, on spreadsheets, in classroom simulations. But in the real world, ceteris isn’t paribus; other things don’t remain equal. To fault the poor for not having an Aadhaar card or a Jan Dhan account only adds insult to their injury.

Callousness abounds: the Maharashtra chief minister decides that old notes can be spent on seeing theatre even as the poor go hungry because those notes are worthless to buy food. Juvenal admonished ancient Romans for caring only about panem et circenses (bread and circuses). The Maharashtra leader reaches lower depths, ignoring the bread, offering circus. “People die in ration lines too,” say Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, failing to note the irony of having rationed people’s own hard-earned savings.

It is trite to quote M.K. Gandhi, but in the days before he died, he wrote a talisman for spiritual freedom of the vulnerable. What would he have said today? Perhaps this: “Whenever you are in doubt, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest Indian whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him or her. Will he or she gain anything by it? Will it restore to him or her a control over his or her own life and destiny? Then you will find your doubts and your self melt away.”





Source : http://www.livemint.com/Opinion/u5tLpMWLTyhqjQ590pqG5L/No-the-poor-arent-sleeping-peacefully.html

Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes banned: Your questions answered by the RBI

Why this scheme? 

The incidence of fake Indian currency notes in higher denomination has increased. For ordinary persons, the fake notes look similar to genuine notes, even though no security feature has been copied. The fake notes are used for anti-national and illegal activities. High denomination notes have been misused by terrorists and for hoarding black money. India remains a cash based economy hence the circulation of Fake Indian Currency Notes continues to be .. 


read more here

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/rs-500-and-rs-1000-notes-banned-your-questions-answered-by-the-rbi/articleshow/55320904.cms

#Rs500andRs1000

PM scraps Rs 500, Rs 1000 notes from midnight tonight: Rs 1000 rupee and Rs 500 rupee notes will no longer be a legal tender starting midnight tonight, says PM Modi.


"You have 50 days (From 10 Nov to 30 Dec) to deposit notes of Rs 500 & Rs 1000 in any Bank or Post office," said Modi.


"Those who can't sumbit the notes within the deadline, can exchange it at Reserve Bank of India by providing a declaration," the PM added.

20:16 PM's address to the nation:
- Our enemies from across the border run their business with counterfeit notes and it has been going on for years


- Black money and corruption has taken roots in the country, these are the biggest obstacles in eradicating poverty


- Our motto has been 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas'. We will continue to fight poverty


- Every country's history has seen a phase where a strong measure was called for In all our policies, we are dedicated for the upliftment of entire society


Finance Ministry says: With a view to curbing financing of terrorism through the proceeds of Fake Indian Currency Notes and use of such funds for subversive activities such as espionage, smuggling of arms, drugs and other contrabands into India, and for eliminating black money which casts a long shadow of parallel economy on our real economy, it has been decided to cancel the legal tender character of the high denomination bank notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 denominations issued by RBI till now.This will take effect from the expiry of November 8, 2016. FICN in circulation in these denominations are comparatively larger as compared to those in other denominations. For a common person, the fake notes look similar to genuine notes.Use of FICN facilitates financing of terrorism and drug trafficking. Use of high denomination notes for storage of unaccounted wealth has been evident from cash recoveries made by law enforcement agencies from time to time.
High denomination notes are known to facilitate generation of black money. In this connection, it may be noted that while the total number of bank notes in circulation rose by 40% between 2011 and 2016, the increase in number of notes of Rs 500/- denomination was 76% andfor Rs 1,000/- denomination was 109% during this period. New Series bank notes of Rs 500/- and Rs 2,000/- denominations will be introduced for circulation from November 10, 2016.Infusion of Rs 2,000/- bank notes will be monitored and regulated by RBI. Introduction of new series of banknotes which will be distinctly different from the current ones in terms of look, design, size and colour has been planned.


Note ban to hit resale property market, small builders: Unorganised builders and secondary (resale) property market would be adversely impacted following the government's decision to demonetise Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes with effect from midnight, according to real estate developers and consultants.
Housing prices could witness downward pressure, helping revive demand in the sluggish housing segment, they added.


"We are moving toward the cashless economy which is a sign of maturing economy. It's a step in the right direction," DLF CEO Rajeev Talwar said.





"The blackmoney was mostly in land purchase. But in last 6-7 years, there has been no major land buying in this sector.Big builders and organised players are already using bank channel and they would gain from this decision. Unorganised players and the secondary market would be impacted," he said.




Asked about impact on real estate sector especially housing, Talwar said: "There could be downward pressure on prices, which will boost demand".

A Step towards Healthy Ageing

Santosh Jain Passi*, 

Akanksha Jain**

The ageing of populations is rapidly accelerating with increasing life expectancy worldwide. Ageing involves changes in physiological, pathological, social, and psychological conditions of the individuals; however, the resultant capacities and health needs of the elderly are not random. These are rooted throughout the life-course and can often be modified, highlighting the importance of a life-cycle approach. The aim of health care has changed enormously; joint family system has largely been replaced by independent living. This shift in family system can mainly be attributed to greater life expectancy, independence and self-esteem of the elderly on one hand, and on the other hand is the freedom of living/non-interference cherished by the younger generations. However, increasing life span is often accompanied by diseases, disorders and disabilities with their consequent loss of independence.

During the last few decades, major chunk of the disease burden has shifted to non-communicable diseases and resultant disabilities rather than pre-mature deaths caused by infectious diseases. Increasing life span and poor health care compound the degree of disability among the elderly and pose problems for the care givers. Meeting the specialised health care needs of the elderly with multi-morbidity is a great challenge being faced by the health-care systems across the globe. For the first time in history, majority of the individuals can expect to live beyond 60 years. Ageing population has, therefore, been a matter of great concern for the policy makers all over.

In the year 1901, India’s elderly population was just 12 million which rose to 19 million (1951), 77 million (2001), 104 million (2011) and it is anticipated to touch 137 million mark by 2021. Our country which houses the 2^nd largest number of aged people in the world, has taken merely 25 years to double its elderly population.

Population (in millions)	Male	Female	Total
India’s Total Population	623.3	587.6	1210.9
Population aged 60+	51.1	52.8	103.9
Rural	36.0	37.3	73.3
Urban	15.1	15.5	30.6
Elderly as % of Total Population	8.2	9.0	8.6

                                                         (Source: Population Census 2011, SRS Report 2013)

Largely, the problems of elderly arise from inadequate income, lack of suitable employment opportunities, poor housing conditions, physical and psychosocial health issues, absence of social safety-nets, stresses and strains associated with changing family patterns and lack of appropriate post-retirement activities. Changes in socio-economic status adversely affect the elderly’s way of life. Therefore, appropriate ways and means of stress management need to be explored and implemented.

Age related physiological decline comprises changes in the normal body functions leading to poor mobility, failing vision, impaired hearing, eating/digestion problems, loss of memory coupled with inability to control certain physiological functions (particularly urinary- incontinence) and various chronic diseases/disorders. Rapid urbanisation and unhealthy lifestyle are the root cause of escalating incidence of age related chronic disease such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes etc. Economic dependency on children/relatives, loss of authority and lack of social recognition result in poor self-esteem of the elderly; and this situation is expected to worsen in the coming years.

For the elderly, appropriate nutrition is imperative for good health as it can affect the entire ageing process. Compared to the youngsters, elderly are more vulnerable since ageing is accompanied by diminished functional status including impaired muscle function, loss of bone mass, immune dysfunction, anaemia, reduced cognition, poor wound healing recovery and frequent morbidity/hospitalisation/surgery which can often result in mortality. With the changing scenario, elderly are usually left to fend for themselves which invariably affects their health and nutritional status. Due to reduced food intake and lack of dietary diversity, they commonly suffer from micronutrient deficiencies.

Despite multiple health problems, old-age should not imply dependence. Appropriate interventions including health promotion, disease prevention and primary to palliative care need to target the elderly so as to add healthy years to their lives! In 2002, WHO released a policy framework – Active Ageing which emphasizes the need for multi-sectoral actions to ensure that “older persons remain a resource to their families, communities and economies”.

The  increasing  proportion  of  elderly subject the welfare schemes and  health-care  systems  as  well  as  their families  under  pressure. The fact that more and more people will live longer, it will add to the existing burden of chronic diseases and disabilities – putting additional strain on the society. Therefore, the welfare policies/schemes and the health care systems need to be designed appropriately.

In India, Ministry of Social Justice  and  Empowerment in  close  collaboration  with  State  Governments,  Non-Governmental  Organisations  and  civil  societies develops  and  implements  various programmes for  the senior  citizens. Under the Scheme Integrated Programme  for  Older  Persons (IPOP), the Ministry runs several projects Maintenance of Old Age Homes and Respite Care Homes which include running of Multi Service Centres for Older Persons;

Maintenance of Mobile Medicare Units; running of Day Care Centres for Old Persons with Alzheimer's/Dementia; multi facility care centre for older widows; physiotherapy clinics; Regional Resource and Training Centres and several other programmes to benefit the elderly.

“Ageing well” must be a global priority!!

The concept of Active and Healthy Ageing needs to be promoted, which includes preventive, promotive, curative and rehabilitative aspects of the elderly’s health!!

To quote Dr Chatterji (WHO)“Collectively, we need to look beyond the costs commonly associated with ageing to think about the benefits that an older, healthier, happier, and more productive older population can bring to society as a whole.”

Our elders are the treasure house of unbeatable experience…we should respect them and care for them!! As there is a saying, “The best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person”.

****

*Dr Santosh Jain Passi - Public Health Nutrition Consultant; Former Director, Institute of Home Economics, University of Delhi

** Ms Akanksha Jain - Ph D Scholar, - works in the field of Public Health and Nutrition.

Public Participation in Combating Corruption

*Article is an abridged version of the speech delivered by Shri. N. Vittal, former Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC). The lecture was part of the Vigilance Week Celebrations at the Chennai office of the Press Information Bureau (PIB).

The theme for the Vigilance Awareness Week 2016 is ‘Public participation in promoting integrity and combating corruption’. The very core idea of the Vigilance Awareness Week being observed under the initiative of Central Vigilance Commission is that the Commission realized that in a huge country like India, we cannot promote integrity and combat corruption unless there is participation of the public.



What is ‘Integrity’ and ‘Corruption’



Integrity is basically the state in which there is complete coherence and no division. From a practical point of view, integrity means honesty or straightforwardness. As the Central Vigilance Commission deals with the issue of integrity, it looks up it in three different angles. One of course is the integrity relating to intellectual integrity, the second is financial integrity and the third is moral or ethical integrity.



The word corruption is defined by the World Bank as use of public office for private gain. So far as the strict legal aspect is concerned, the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988 defines the objective conditions for the court to decide whether the act of corruption taken place or not when a case comes before that forum. For our analysis in this paper we may adopt World Bank definition of using public office for private gain is relatively accurate and broad based and easy for understanding.



Public Participation



We may now examine the theme of ‘public participation for promoting integrity and combating corruption’ in the context of our country and the government of India.





It was Shri T.N. Seshan, the former Chief Election Commissioner of India who suggested that if the Central Vigilance Commission were to observe one week in a year as a ‘Vigilance Awareness Week’, it will help focusing the attention of promoting integrity and combating corruption right across entire spectrum of government organizations which directly come under the jurisdiction of the CVC but will also have a multiplier effect by way of bringing the whole issue in the public domain.



What was visualized by Shri Seshan, has today set an excellent track record and as we look back at the history of the past two decades, we will find that the youth of today can immediately find resonance with the concept of integrity and combating corruption as the sine qua non for good governance.



In a way, the Vigilance Awareness Week has set into motion of virtuous cycle, one good development following another. It will be appropriate, on the occasion the Vigilance awareness week to quickly trace the developments in the area of public governance in our country since 2000 when the Vigilance Awareness Week was launched.



To begin with, the background of the changes brought about by the Central Vigilance Commission and the focus on promoting integrity and combating corruption in public life is in reality, a saga of the changes that public participation has brought about.



The Advent of RTI Act



Ironically, the beginning in recent times of public participation demanding accountability on governance and checking corruption was in Rajasthan, one of the most backward states of the country. Different states in our country are at different stages of development and though there is a cultural integrity of India, we are a multi ethnic, multi lingual and multi speed country. From the very backward States like Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh compared to other States like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Punjab, there is a vast difference when it comes to development in various sectors.



It was in Rajasthan that a Non-Government Organization, Mazdur Kisan Shakti Sangatan (MKSS) lead by a committed social activist Aruna Roy who earlier was part of Indian Civil Services, spread awareness among the people of the villages that they should know whether the huge funds which were being made available to Panchayats for the development of the villages were being properly used. The theme she underlined was that Tax revenue is ‘our money, give us an account of how our money is being spent’. “Hamara paisa, hamara hisab’’ was the theme on which she was able to quietly and systematically work in the villages of Rajasthan. This triggered into a powerful movement which finally lead to the enactment of Right to Information Act in 2005.



The Act was indeed revolutionary. It was a diametrically opposite concept under which the States had so far ruled and especially, from the colonial period. So far, there was no method by which the citizens were taken in to confidence and informed about what the government intended to do and how their tax funds were being spent. The RTI proved to be a game-changer as its enactment ensured public participation which lead to overall awareness about how transparency can be brought out in the governmental system and how government can be made accountable.



In 2010, Anna Hazare, who has been active for more than three decades in the village of Ralegan city in Maharastra, became the leader of very popular movement India Against Corruption[IAC]. It grabbed the attention of the entire nation as if it was a second movement for independence. It got an unpresented boost, thanks to the 24/7 electronic media and the all embracing social media.



The growth of the internet and especially the social media what is SCAM (Social, Cloud, Analytical, Mobile) areas of development in communication today have virtually placed tremendous powers in the hands of practically every citizen and voter so that he/she can access information and also spread ideas and opinion on a scale not only nationally but internationally and the impact of this have been very dramatic especially in more backward place where physical infrastructure might not have developed but the accessibility of mobile and information technology have empowered people.



In a country like ours, this continuous participation of the people in promoting integrity and combating corruption, especially in the last decades have led to situations that set political agendas and electoral issues. The 2014 elections were largely shaped by the civil society agitations and media coverage of various scams. It is, therefore, appropriate that this year’s theme of Vigilance Awareness Week is focuses on public participation on promoting integrity and combating corruption.



This can be a broad overview. Our experience in the last two decades and more has also shown us that there are multiple aspects of public participation and one has to be clear that we do not do injustice to anyone and we are fair. In fact, the manner in which the anti-corruption movement and public participation have evolved in the last few years, seem to highlight some negative dimensions. In this context, a mention about role of media would be pertinent. The electronic and print media play a large role in highlighting the issue of corruption and lack of integrity in public life. Though there is not only the ostensible objective of doing the public service but on certain occasion, there is also tremendous commercial interest. In the case of the electronic media, there is a continuous competition for getting higher Television Rating Points. There is a possibility that truth and objectivity get suppressed in the process.



With all these, we should appreciate the remarkable role played by our judiciary which has been able to maintain the focus on really bringing guilty to book and laying down standards so that the agencies who are fighting corruption function on the right lines.



In fact, various scams which marred the reputation of past governments in recent times, are all the results of the gross and brazen misuse of powers for private gain which came out in the public domain thanks to the alertness of the media and the activists. Transparency is the best guarantee against corruption. We have a law now of the Lok Pal but one does not know how effective it will be, because, ultimately the responsibility for integrity is on the individual himself.



As we observe the Vigilance Awareness Week this time, this author would like to emphasize one very important aspect. This aspect is that now we have the inspiring leadership of our Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. He has given supreme importance to the issue of good governance from the day he assumed charge as the Prime minister. Every step taken since he became Prime Minister, is for realizing that supreme national vision. We can all therefore look forward to a great future for the country.



The initiatives taken by the Prime Minister, right from his days of the Chief Minister and the way in which he conducted the campaign and every measure, he has taken, have shown that he realises that eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. Under his leadership, we are on our way to become one of best countries in the world drawing inspiration from our own ethical cultural roots.

****