Corruption in India and RTI

Anna Hazare has won his first battle against corruption. How effective will it be? When corruption is a way of life, how a bill will help us being honest? We are corrupt not because we do not have enough laws but because we choose to do so. Let me give you a few examples from my life.

We planned to go for India England match in 2011 world cup. The tickets were not available in the internet. One-day we heard all the tickets were sold. Police lathi charged at the venue where tickets were sold. Then my friends got a possible friend who can get tickets for us. He promised to try tickets of Rs 1000 for Rs 1500. All my friends were ready to pay extra 500 bucks for ticket. I said no to it. One of friend asked me whether I have never bribed anybody, and why I am saying no to it. Anyway we did not get the tickets for Rs 1500 and did not go for the cricket match.

Incident 2: My passport was expiring in Nov 2010. I went to renew it. All was well until I found I had adverse police report on my latest passport. Hyderabad police gave adverse report on my passport, and further details were not available at the passport seva kendra. Assistant passport officer asked me to go to the passport office in Kormangala. In passport office, they said they do not have the information and send a letter to Hyderabad to get the details.

I was in tension as I do not have a valid passport, and going to the government office is not an easy task. When I asked my friends for suggestion, some of them advised to apply a new passport in my native place where as others advised me to pay to some agent who knows whom to bribe and how much in stead of going from one office to another. I decided to do neither of them and asked a friend of mine in Hyderabad to expedite the process from passport office Hyderabad. He is unable to get any result.

I send RTI enquiry to passport office Bangalore, and asked about the activity details on my passport. RPO Bangalore replied in time saying it has received my application and sent for the status to RPO Hyderbad.

I send another RTI to RPO Hyderabad regarding the status of my passport. RPO hyderabad replied saying they got the fax on 4th of Feb (it has not mentioned when it received the original letter) and responded by 8th Feb. I got another mail from RTI officer saying my passport has been sent for police verification. I went to the police station for police verification.

When I went for police verification, my friends were telling different stories such as how police charges Rs 1500 onwards and if one does not pay she does not get the verification. I am able to recall the threat by Hyderabad police who came for verification of my wife. He asked me to pay Rs 500 else he will send a report saying she was not available. But I was determined not to bribe now, and use RTI instead. However police has not asked for any bribe.

Now my passport status is waiting to be delivered. Probable police has send the clearance to RPO. When we are in trouble people prefer to pay bribe and get easyway out. Whether it is RPO or traffic police or police verification or RTO. Corruption is a way of life for us. Anybody doing corruption is not looked down.

As long as we are interested to pay bribe to get work done, how can we fight corruption with a bill? Bill is definitely bring some changes. May be what T N seshan has brought to the election. Now election is not clean, still thugs win election. Money, muscle and liquor rules in election. But Seshan has changed the way we are looking at election. Similarly the Jan lokpal bill wont be able to eradicate corruption. We need to change our mindset and say no to corruption. But this bill may help to do something at the top.

World cup win by India

India won cricket world cup 2011. I am happy like many others. Then many of the state government started showering gifts to the cricket players. Media started writing how India conquered the world.

Did India conquer the world by winning the world cup? I do not know how. We have not so exciting record in the athletics. With more than a billion people we are not the top 2 or 3 medal takers. We are good in science and technology, but our institutes are not the best. We look at Europe or US for high tech products. Is the world cup cricket win take us closer to that? It won't, so how do we conquer the world by winning the world cup? We were at the same place where we were 2 months ago.

Now cricketers are hero in people's mind, and government is giving gifts cash and real estate to the cricketers. None of the government has surplus money. All the government is running in deficit. How do they arrange the gift money? Worst KA government never gave any plot to the local heros who did well in Olympics. Most of the government diverted money that needs to be spent for the welfare of the people and gave cash prize or otherwise. Are cricketers poor people who need support from the government? My answer is no. They earn in crores from the ad of cola, junk food, liquor etc. Some people may say we need to support the sports person as they are national icons. Then why only cricketers? Why not the people who own medals in Olympic?