Minimize face to face interaction, maximize IT uses to end corruption: Assocham

25 September, 2012

A large scale modernization of government machinery through widespread use of information technology is a must for dealing with the problem of graft both at the central and the state level.

INDUSTRY BODY Assocham while pressing for increase in the uses of information and communication technologies said that the country needs to press ahead with reforms at a rapid speed more at the states than the Central level. This will help to fight better the menace of corruption, which is crippling the political and economic environment in the country.

“The common-man comes face-to-face with the delivery of governance at the state level and further down to the local bodies’ scale. In a way, even the industry also has to deal with the state governments or the local authorities more often. Be it trade licence, land, water, electricity or safety issues, it is the state authorities which have been given the responsibility to deliver under the Indian Constitution,” added Assocham.

“The face-to-face contact between citizens and officials should be avoided as much as possible. Internet penetration should be increased and online service delivery should be attempted on a mission mode. Besides, the focus should be on building foolproof systems rather than giving unlimited discretionary powers to bureaucrats or to the political leadership,” Rajkumar N Dhoot, Assocham's President and Rajya Sabha MP said in a statement.

Assocham raised questions on huge discretionary powers given to an inspector, a municipal councillor, an IAS officer, ministers, MLAs and MPs. Assocham supported Civil Society's demand to introduce Citizen Charter while saying that it is a good concept and the people at the delivery level should be covered under the law so that the corruption can be rooted out at the grass-root level.

The chamber felt that some urgent actions need to be done and strong signals must go out to the society that the governments, both at the State and Central level are serious about removing the curse of graft.

Assocham acknowledged that states like Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Delhi have already taken steps to improve the governance by making widespread use of technology to reach out to the users of the government services.