MUN Position Paper-Over the last two years, India and its constituent states, Jammu Kashmir included, has seen a spate of corruption scandals threatening to debilitate the political viability of the nation and the power of statesmen to enforce policies be

International Baccalaureate Languages

Position Paper

Committee Name: Lok Sabha
Member Name: Farooq Abdullah

School: Podar International School
Delegate Name: Shreyam Desai

Committee: Lok Sabha

Member: Farooq Abdullah

School: Podar International School

Delegate: Shreyam Desai

Topic Area: The Recent Menagerie of Corruption Scandals involving Jammu Kasmir and the Nation

Over the last two years, India and its constituent states, Jammu Kashmir included, has seen a spate of corruption scandals threatening to debilitate the political viability of the nation and the power of statesmen to enforce policies because of a reduction in their credibility. The 2G scandal rocked the nation, weakening the Jammu Kashmir economy and increasing the time-frame upon which telecommunication bills are passed, halting the steady progress being made because of increasing judicial review by the CAG. Bemusement about the scope of the Lokpal Bill of whether to include the honorable Prime Minister in its ambit too has threatened the belief of the people of Jammu Kashmir in it the state government. Moreover, the validation that the top directory of the Hurriyat Conference are liable to graft has reduced nationalistic sentiments.

Causes

Lack of Inter-departmental Communication and Efficient Management: There is a lack of inter communication between the subject departments in corruption scandals. In the 2G scam, the failure of the Department of Telecommunications to communicate with the NCP about the number of licenses provided and the validation of the target firms lead to approval of 2G Bills with only cursory checks. The appointment of incapable managers leads to alternative and chimerical ways of action. As a result, corruption becomes cyclical in nature and so, corruption breeds corruption.

Lack of Economic Stability- Frequent fluctuation in the business cycle can lead to an insecure mindset. In order to maintain standards of living and to re-gain some semblance of security, the general populace may engage in illicit activities as a means to an end.

Geographical Disparities in Support- Many anti-corruption support groups and activists tend to be concentrated in urban areas. This ignores the huge quantity of the populace which still live in rural areas. Such a disparity encourages discontinuity in weakening corruption.

Dearth of Nationalistic Sentiment- There is less support for ...

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Lack of Economic Stability- Frequent fluctuation in the business cycle can lead to an insecure mindset. In order to maintain standards of living and to re-gain some semblance of security, the general populace may engage in illicit activities as a means to an end.

Geographical Disparities in Support- Many anti-corruption support groups and activists tend to be concentrated in urban areas. This ignores the huge quantity of the populace which still live in rural areas. Such a disparity encourages discontinuity in weakening corruption.

Dearth of Nationalistic Sentiment- There is less support for India. With rapid globalisation, the sentiment of the media and the general public has spread to areas of self-enrichment and a cultural and idealistic viewpoint has been lost to time.

The Paucity of Autonomy- There is increased government regulation on firms and more nationalization of corporations. This puts increasing power with the beauracracy and by implication, increases the power of the UPA, the epicentre of graft.

Scarcity of Remuneration- Government officials do not get paid as much as their foreign counterparts. This encourages means to find alternate sources of income. Many of which are sourced through the parallel black economy.

Policies

There exist some governmental organisations established as a means to fight corruption. The Comptroller and Auditor General of India audits all receipts and expenditures and expenditures of the national and state governments, including those of authorities substantially financed by the government. Yet, the organisation is not a very efficient one. A Deputy secretary for example might more about the problems in his department than the CAG and his entire staff. The Indian Parliament has also failed to define the functions of the CAG as the constitution contemplated it would do. CAG, is also, to a certain extent, an inheritance from archaic colonial rule. This implies policies that are too outdated with the dynamism of modern India. The Security and Exchange Boards of India also regulates finance and may prevent pecuniary corruption, so essential due to its large scale, but its irregularities have also been shown in the long time it took to recognize the inflation of Satyam Technologies’ Account Books.

Solutions

Legislation- The Jan Lokpal Bill should be passed to regulate corruption. The Prime Minister should be excluded from its ambit because doing so would take away from the already low political morale of the country. The Prime Minister the Jammu Kashmir National Conference has so often declared have countlessly described is an honest and noble man. Also, it is important to remain secretive about some facts as it in the interest of the country’s national security. In a case specific to Jammu Kashmir, the CBI should explore the flow of illegal income from foreign sources to the All Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC).

Education- The allocation of the nation’s annual budget should be focused on increasing the level of education in this nation. An increase in the number of primary schools, the perforation of low-cost tablets, and the free distribution of text-books would all serve to enhance the level of human capital in this nation. This instruction would be vital in telling the future working-age population of the harmful effects of corruption.

Social Organisations- NGO’s and welfare organisations should work to increase their jurisdiction. The Office of Registrars should also work in a more swifter manner to pass approval on the non-taxable receipt status of NGO donations.

Declaration of Wealth and Assets- There should be a more quarterly declaration of wealth and assets by the Members of Parliament to gain regular updates on their monetary value. Doing so would discourage corruption because the pressure of constant checks may deter statesmen to engage in such activities.

Transparency- More transactions, transfer of assets, selling of bonds, and other governmental activities should be made more transparent and available to the public for increasing scrutiny.

Media: Media sources can be used to proliferate the negative effects of corruption to different mediums such as print media, television news agencies, and radio stations pan-India. Advertisements with validation by a public personality with a large following such as an actor can also be used to discourage corruption by the general public such as the casual graft practiced by the citizenry at traffic signals.

Conclusion

The nature of corruption is universal. Many policies have been tried, some have succeeded, and most have failed. Yet, this should not discourage further actions in attempting to stop it. This nation was founded on the doctrines of liberty and democracy. Corruption halts this vision, instead promoting bondage and autocracy. It must be prevented. And it is essential, that this prevention starts immediately.

Shreyam Desai