Eliminate Subsidy – Give Cash

Jago Party has always been of the view that the present subsidy delivery system of the government is utterly corrupt, wasteful and inefficient. It has not helped the poor because a big portion of subsidized goods [65% of PDS foodgrains, for example] gets diverted to black market owing to price differentials. The current subsidy on kerosene is Rs 20.56 per liter while the same on domestic LPG is Rs 356 per cylinder. Jago Party has been propagating the view that direct payment of cash in lieu of subsidy is the best way to remove corruption and black marketing.

Government of India, under public pressure, has now realized its folly and decided to form a task force to facilitate direct payment of cash to beneficiaries of subsidies like foodgrains, kerosene, LPG, fertilizers etc. This inter-ministerial task force, headed by Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) Chairman, Nandan Nilekani would submit its report within 4 months and suggest practical ways to implement the scheme of direct transfer of cash.

Under this new concept, the poor would be given a fixed amount [say, Rs 800 p.m.] and they would be free to use this amount to buy food, kerosene, LPG or whatever they like. There would be no need to have an elaborate system of administration for delivery of subsidized goods involving millions of babus, politicians and middlemen who tend to be benefitted illegally by differences in prices between subsidized goods and open market.

The next step would be to scrap all the so-called “welfare” schemes in areas like housing, education, health, credit etc and build up a system of free market economy based on fair competition. Under such a system, anybody can succeed and earn money by following the demands of the market. In the same process, he would be offering better and cheaper goods and services to consumers. That would ensure rapid growth of the whole society.

Jago Party is determined to bring about these reforms in the system.     

Salient Features of People\'s Anti Corruption Bill

Salient Features of the Bill proposed by Aravinda Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi, Anna Hazare etc. Jago Party fully supports this bill, also known as " Jana Lokpal Bill"

1. There shall be an institution of Lokpal with ten members and headed by a Chairperson.
2. That part of CBI which deals with cases of corruption, shall be merged with Lokpal.
3. CVC and the entire internal vigilance set in various central government departments will be
merged with Lokpal.
4. Lokpal will be completely independent of the Government.
5. Lokpal shall have jurisdiction over bureaucrats, politicians and judges.
6. Lokpal shall have the powers to initiate investigations and prosecution without needing
permission from any other agency.
7. Public grievances are often linked to demands/expectations of bribery. Lokpal shall act as
appellate authority and supervisory body for grievance redressal systems in all central
government departments.
8. Lokpal shall be responsible for providing protection against physical and professional
victimization to whistleblowers.
9. Members and Chairperson in Lokpal shall be selected through a transparent and participatory
process.
10. The functioning of Lokpal shall be completely transparent to avoid it from becoming a hub of
corruption.
11. Any complaint of wrongdoing against an official of Lokpal shall be investigated and acted upon
within a month through a transparent enquiry process.
12. If charges are proved and conviction takes place, loss to the exchequer caused due to his
wrongdoing shall be recovered from all those who are convicted.

Innovative Ideas Can come from Anywhere, at any Time..

A recent article at Fast Company Design got us thinking about a tenured, but proven, approach to organizational innovation, by way of 3M’s 15 Percent Program. In place since 1948, the 15 Percent Program encourages employees to use a portion of their paid time to dream, brainstorm and test their own ideas. The program and the free time it provides have generated many of the company’s best-selling programs – in addition to serving as a model for the practices of the likes of Google and HP.

Some key take-aways one can learn from 3M’s program – and apply to their own organization, team or personal practice – are recapped below:

• How is the program implemented? Workers often use 15 percent time to pursue something they discovered through the usual course of work but didn’t have time to follow up on.
• 15 percent time is extended to everyone, not just the scientists
• Failure is to be expected, accepted and learned from
• 3M backs their 15 percent program with financial investment and commitment: they invest more than $1 billion in R&D alone.
• According to the author, ‘experts agree that this kind of nudging probably works best at companies where there’s a high level of creative competitiveness; that is, where impressing peers is just as important as the innovation itself.’
• Past projects – which are currently on the market – have included making clear bandages, optical films that reflect light, and designing a way to make painter’s tape stick to wall edges (to protect against paint bleed).
• Ideas can sometimes be ahead of their time; one employees idea needed 15 years for more advanced technology to be in place to support it – and for the market to demand it.

Perhaps the overall conclusion? Innovative ideas can come from anywhere, at any time. Forward-thinking organizations find ways to motivate and reward employees for developing and testing these ideas.

Corruption Free India...

Arrest of Mr A. Raja, the ex-Communications Minister is a victory of the civil society and anti-corruption movement launched by us. This has boosted our courage and confidence in making positive changes in the society.

However, we must continue to insist that corruption cannot be checked by a few arrests here and there.

India needs the following 4 fundamental institutional reforms to eliminate corruption:

1.  Setting up an autonomous, fully empowered investigating and prosecuting agency, free to initiate action against any government functionary – politicians, bureaucrats or judges without anybody’s permission;

2.  Dismantling of all discretionary powers given to Ministers and bureaucrats – all government processes must be standardized, computerized and made fully transparent;

3.  Providing for complete state funding of election though mass media with equal opportunity to all political parties; and

4.  Maximum privatization – government to manage only security, justice, enforcement of contracts, currency and environment. The rest must be left to private enterprises. Public money is treated as nobody’s money – hence there is so much corruption in public/government sectors. All the so-called welfare programs initiated in the name of the poor must also be dismantled, because they are just created to loot public fund by babus and netas. In lieu of that, a system of direct cash transfer through Banks/Post Offices should be started with the aim that the basic minimum needs of everybody are taken care of.

Just these 4 basic reforms would eliminate 99% corruption from public life.