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Merchants' chamber to set up anti-corruption secretariat

The 90-year-old Indian Merchants' Chamber has decided to set up an anti-corruption secretariat to combat corruption and launch a campaign to improve the human resources in the country.

Pledging the chamber's support to eradicate corruption before Prime Minister I K Gujral, IMC President Ram Gandhi stressed the need to revamp Central Bureau of Investigation, pass the right to information bill, ensure time-bound decision-making, limit use of discretionary clauses, and set up exclusive courts to clear pending cases to drive away this economic and political evil.

The secretariat will be headed by a coordinator who will interact with the IMC expert committees and will be responsible for adopting various measures of the IMC to tackle corruption and ensure that they are taken on war-footing. The IMC also intends to draw public attention to the importance of each these actions through seminars, published articles by members and sponsor and advertising campaign against corruption.

Pointing out that India is the eighth-most corrupt country in his presentation on 'Tackling Corruption -- A National Agenda', Gandhi urged Gujral that the apex investigation agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation, be made independent of the executive by giving it an Election Commission-like status.

In addition, the CBI should no longer have to seek approval from the respective ministry to prosecute a public servant. The person who provide evidence against the corrupt should be granted immunity from prosecution, he said.

He said the right to information bill, which has been kept hanging in the air for several decades, should be passed which makes the public access to almost all the government departments. To clear the 20 million cases pending with the judiciary, the chamber recommended that exclusive courts be set up both at the central and state level to expeditiously handle all corruption related cases.

Drawing the attention of Gujral, the IMC president said the ''power to delay'' often forces businessmen to pay bribes for routine clearances and approvals. ''We can put an end to this extortion by defining time limits for most routine approvals and clearances,'' he said.

Gandhi pointed out that corruption is not only a political evil but also an economic one. Quoting World Bank President James Wolfensohn, he said that corruption is the biggest inhibitor to economic development and to the inflows of funds and domestic investment.

"If corruption rates do not decline, it would continue to have an adverse affect on the economy as it raises the cost of capital, lowers rate of investment and lower savings rate," said Gandhi. "Corruption, by its very nature generates black money. It also ensures that the money is wasted instead of being spent on much- needed infrastructure development."

Gandhi stated the need of the hour was a forceful political leadership dedicated to combating corruption. ''Leadership does not not mean the prime minister and his cabinet, it includes all those who hold positions of leadership in their constituencies or political parties. Though many politicians say they abhor corruption, there is little evidence to show that this is more than mere words,'' he said.

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