Arvind Panagariya joins issue

 I am for such an amendment.

1. It is not bribe that public pay illegally to get legal work done. One may call it a ,extortion, or ‘ransom’ money. Either of the name can be used while filing FIR in place of ‘Harassment Bribes’.

2. People will come out to report bribery cases. So some deterrent would automatically be there.

3. There must be provisions of stringent punishment for those who indulge in settling scores or malign image of an honest person.

4. Intentional delays or inactions would automatically tell if it was a fit case or not.

The whole idea of legalising harassment bribe is abhorrent and absurd. Only a delinquent person can think the way Basu has done. It is possible that he was planted in the Finance Ministry by the World Bank. With economists of the calibre of Basu messing up the country's finances there is bound to be more corruption and malfeasance. In the instant case, the beneficiaries of Basu's short article are the Outlook India, The Scribd, and of course, Basu himself. One may not know for how many foreign trips Basu has already used and will be using this silly, senseless write-up. I thought academics like other human beings think with the head. Basu, like other economists of the Planning Commission variety,  has demonstrated the other way. The sub-altern money-spinners with whom he has a lot in common will tell you more of the exact location. Basu is bound to get a lot more Adiseshiah Awards!! Such awards go to those who think with -- you guess it!

 ARUN MAHESHWARI

Thanks for sharing your views. I value your opinion.

I consider that many administrative systems in practice in our country are imported and not naturally evolved for taking deep roots.  So, the general tendency is to brow beat the alien systems for self gain if  an opportunity ever arises. That tendency is among all of us- including me. I do not claim to be a Mahatma. But when we know that the system has a strong monitoring practices to allow any out of turn intrusion or manipulation  such wrong incursions would get minimized. Sure, severe punishments are also needed at the same time.But to hand over severe punishment there has to be first conviction which is very difficult in our set- up and please remember there can be false accusations and settling of scores through this route.

But I have this suggestion; please give your serious thought. I feel the present Lok Bill related cacophony should be set aside and focus shall be more on creating modern ways of administartion.

Integrate the present ongoing Uniquel Identity card project with income tax and National banking Systems for tracking money trails.

2. There shall be a "National Personal Wealth Registry" which enlists the movable and non movable assets of each and every citizen  under the unique ID, and only those assets listed in the name of the person shall alone be deemed the individual's assets legally and those not listed- benami - are null and void for staking any claim  over respective asset. The rules shall be so codified that for an asset to gain entry in the register, the relevant transaction of for acquiring the asset must be supported by proof of source of income and relevant Income tax ( of course within a stipulated period ) payment on the accruals being utilized for buying the said asset. A constitutional right to the individual on such legally acquired asset must be guaranteed.

3. Gold & other precious metals & jewellery shall not be available for cash purchase but only through money instruments like cheque etc. 

I consider that such approach eliminates scope for wrongful acquisitions and accumulation of wealth when there is no chance of selling, for there is a need to show proof of authentic source of income to justify transactions. And the Govt too will earn plenty of taxes which are being avoided nowby hook or crook.

So my idea to eradicate corruption is to envisage "National Personal Wealth Registry," and a strict monitoring of money trails with added usage of IT backed vigilance.Income Tax department wastes lots of energy in squeezing the last rupee from employees but allows big fish to go scot free.

I do not beleieve that Hazare or for that matter even Mahatma can change our society.

Basu's paper seems crushed under its own title, which goes like:

"Why, for a Class of Bribes, the Act of Giving a Bribe should be Treated as Legal"

Although all along it actually argue on:

"Should the bribe giver be provided legal protection in a certain Class of Bribes"

Basu is a prolific writer. I had chances of reading him often on BBC. Which I didn't like for his "I better than thou" attitude though. But how can he mess up this so bad?

At best people are saying, "he is asking to legalise bribe giving"; at worst, "he is asking to legalise bribe".

I see a lot of merit in his idea. But is not a complete solution.

It says, bribe giver should get the money back, that will give an incentive to come forward.

Make sense, doesn't it?

But it does not touch upon, where and how to complain?

Go to police?

Nah, it just turns me (and most) off.

What happens when I pay a "non-harassment bribe" and get something done. Then turn over and cry foul.

I say, so be it.

Why the "bribe taker" got lured. In fact, I should be rewarded, because I came out to expose him/her. How many other such illegal act he/she might be doing and no one is complaining.

Vishwamitra breaks his Tapashya for Menaka's dances. Menka is not at fault, but Vishwamitra.

But yes, the timing should be important. Do I complain immediately after the crime.

Only concern I have is; I did not pay a bribe and cry I paid. How to deal with that?

Given the panchayati mentality of some of our law makers; as in dowry case, he goes to jail first and prove from there that he is innocent; I am worry for those honest babus. They might get trapped and harassed.

Now that a working paper  sponsored by Planning Commission is doing the rounds in government circles about  legalising bribe giving , there must be another paper under the works about legalising bribe taking. Once these  two are meshed & married in to one unified law , corruption in one Hallweenian sleight of economist's hand will disappear.

1.2 billon Indian people are wracking their brains to eradicate the cancer of corruption . Anna Hazare went through the rigours of fast four days. The Singhs - Amar & Digvijay - did their best to tackle corruption through manufacture of CDs & going through the biography of the Bushans with fine truth comb & anthology of their property deals. TRP of TV channels shot through the roof riding the back of fight against corruption , because we Indians like nothing more than a saucy corruption story in high palces.

All the time an unbeleivaly briliant & sipmle solution is charted right their by Prime Ministers close confidants. Legalise corruption ( bribe giving & taking) & lo & behold , there is no corruption for you. In one stroke the  civil soceity malcontets will be sent to the cleaners. They will have to accept Chinese staple visa & go to Bejing to fight corruption.

That put paid to the cynics who thought the govt. is doing nothing about corruption & a glimse in to the methodology of graft fighting for which this government tightening their loins. This also renders  those Bhusans guys ineffective & no way they can earn a living out of filing PILs.

The question so often asked about economocs or economists is what it is/they are all about as they never come up with a tangible solution of the immediate ills of the socio-economic ills. The world is going through an unending economic crisis.It is not economists who could foretell  the oncoming depression nor put a finger on its remedy.  Off late there are  there are uneven signs of recovery despite the  economists who surmised dooms day scenario throughout the world.

Post world war -II,  American universities has produced this genre of  custom-built economists who are expert at putting out production line economic thesis which suits the predominantly raging political dispensation of the time. You will get economists who would even give a theoretical make over to  George W. Bush who went about with the idea that those who have the big aeroplanes & missiles are the ones who has right to world's wealth wherever it lies.

While Amartya Sen is unsuccessfully in search of a job for last few years, one economist from an American university  cosily nested in Manmohan's stable. And a brave one at that. Manmohan government is on a seize from all direction on ever increasing number of  corruption scanadals. With keen  sense of timing,  an working  paper underwritten by government about desirability legalising bribe-giving had to  surface right now.

Who says economics is a useless discipline - a concoction of a bit of maths, stats, geo , equity , currency, agri, field research , piles of unverifiable data & lot of vapid subjectivities?

On the dirty tricks department Amar Sing is unmatched. Only problem he is a crude operative. A wrapping of therorical economic garb will do nobody any harm.

/// SANDILYA

CHENNAI, INDIA///

I admire your reseach on corruption. Every intellectual has his own research papers and ideas to fight against evils. But researches and writing articles only do not change wrong perceptions of the society, a least.   You have to fight on ground levels and for this one has to part with comforts and take pains. And you know people who by leaving their comfortable life and taking pains, may not be as prudent as you are,   have done a lot for the goodwill of the society. And people resorted to your advice we would be standing where we are even ofter 1000 years. Either support or oppose us but don't put on a mask.

Sandilya - I agree with you I don't believe the Lokpal will be a one stop solution to corruption. However, it can help - I don't think it can hurt. Personally, it might help with huge scams but too me the worrisome corruption is the one daily in our faces affecting the lowest, weakest and least in a position to pay it. And the one that makes law-breakers of otherwise decent people - everyone in this country is a law breaker today. That to me is caused by, I agree, too many laws, conflicting laws, arbitrary laws and all power to the babus and politicians to drag it on and on with redtape. The assumption is that ordinary people are intrinsically law breakers/bad/evil and our laws and the machinery that implements it (law makers, law interpreters, police, investigative agencies, judiciary) make it a self fulfilling prophecy.

There is one dept in my experience where we deal directly and we weren't every asked or had to pay. I always wonder what is the lesson from it - may be it was new and setup by decent people but why did it sustain? That gives me hope something is possible BUT this hope is very feeble flickering flame.

I have got to the place where I don't really think corruption is a solvable problem - it feels like one of those NP complete problems in Computer Science, which is all I know really well. So my view is we are barking up the wrong tree - for me the real issue is that the quality of work done or services delivered after corruption - it is pathetic.

On the other hand if corruption is truly to be sorted out, our pendulum has swung so far to one extreme that it has to first swing to the other extreme and that is severe punishment aka China style and hope with time to find a better balance. Another, is indiscriminate public shaming - for example can we agree not to treat elected reps and bureaucrats as kings/VVIPs (they can keep wanting to behave this way but why accept it - ignore them), can we not invite them as honored guests with people falling over each other with garlands to anything and everything, can we stop referring to them as your highness/excellency/honorable (just sir, sri, madam, srimathi, ms), stop being servile, will we agree to not marry our daughters to IAS, IPS, etc. etc.

Full circle is that I know what I am saying is unrealistic - so can we focus on the quality of what gets done - at least get some products/services of quality as a citizen even if many make money without working hard for it - just due to position, power and access. 

 Sorry for the error in my earlier post: For 20th century- pl. read 21 century