Coal Gate: The best way- Confession and Rectification
No doubt the blockade of parliament over coal scam is a bad sign for the democracy. It is negative action but with a positive aim. Aim is to highlight the issue democratically at the highest level. In a series of scams, this is one of the biggest after 2G. It is sensitive politically, economically and nationally.
Renowned author S A Aiyar has provided an option to current deadlock. This option of not cancelling coal blocks and levying heavy royalties sounds foul to help manipulators. This gives impression of sponsored news to help a friend with opinion making and diverting the attention which may not be true.
If this proposal is accepted what will happen. It will promote manipulations, bad governance, bad procedure, non-performers, and wrong big high profile venders. It is also a try to cool down the heat generated over the issue by justifying allocation over auction.
We, public players, do the things with the sole primary aim to achieve public welfare. Performance auditing of CAG has proved this aim as secondary rather than primary in many cases. Current CAG Vinod Rai is a renowned civil servant of India. On this ground, he got job as CAG.
He knows well what to report and how to report. He also knows any minor mistake on his part will land him in great trouble. It is also true that, he will not like to earn any discredit by any wrong report what is his asset of life. Hence challenging him on mandate issue sounds incorrect. His reports are well proved by documentary and circumstantial evidences.
Politically it is better to confess and rectify to put the issue to an end. In light of many objections why allocation was preferred over auction? There is no convincing justification. Saying some CMs opposed auction, it is not sufficient to discharge the blame.
Veracity of Papers submitted by the companies was not verified. The technical competencies and capacities were not checked. Unqualified, non capable companies got the mining work. Why this soft corner with these big companies. Is this not a corruption and manipulation in formalities to benefit someone not deserving it? In the age of boundary less world, and net carrying information age, public is now able to read between the lines and smells all frauds fabricated inside the strong fort of files and powers.
In most economic activity both goal and means are important. In this case, we are at wrong side of both. We adopted allocation as means in place of auction. Auction is more transparent. It can bring more money. Hence, certainly it would have been better if our means would have been auction in lieu of allocation.
Goal was to secure more and more funds to promote public welfare. Allocations fetch fewer funds. So, less money is available for development. Therefore desired goal to fetch more funds is not achieved.
In this economic activity, both goals and means are not in tune with rule of law. This is the report of CAG. Hence, economically it will be judicious to correct this manipulation by cancelling it for auction like 2G.
Legally speaking, we must discourage bad governance, bad practice and procedure and manipulations. Levying heavy royalties, ignoring all manipulations to avoid action is not legal. Law doesn’t permit it. Money loss is one aspect among many anomalies associated with it. Cancellation is the only way to rectify all anomalies done manipulatively. The option suggested is rectifying only one point that is of money recoupment none other.
Taking heavy royalties will set a wrong precedent for future of a rotten system. If not cancelled, corrupt forces will not discourage who are manipulating law of land at the cost of nation. To teach lessons to such forces, to avoid such repetitions, cancellation is the best way out among all options.
For the aforesaid reasons, it is expedient politically, economically and legally to cancel allocation for auction in a timely manner to avoid inconveniences. A through probe is required to book the real culprits.
By performance auditing, CAG has invited the attention of nation on 2G and coal scam. This attention will help in finishing wrong practices. Shedding wrong practices and adopting appropriate one will be conducive to achieving our goal of a developed nation. Hence CAG reports are acting as catalyst in this direction. Therefore, instead of decrying CAG, we need to praise him.
Heera Lal
(Views are personal, based on different sources)
Ref:
6. http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/indias-silent-prime-minister-becomes-a-tragic-figure/2012/09/04/a88662c4-f396-11e1-adc6-87dfa8eff430_story.html
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/opinion/edit-page/Its-time-we-realised-Indias-mineral-wealth-belongs-to-its-people-not-to-the-politicians/articleshow/16301889.cms
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Secret-of-Jindals-success-Cheap-coal-costly-power/articleshow/16319069.cms
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/opinion/edit-page/Its-time-we-realised-Indias-mineral-wealth-belongs-to-its-people-not-to-the-politicians/articleshow/16301889.cms
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Secret-of-Jindals-success-Cheap-coal-costly-power/articleshow/16319069.cms
Nice!!
ReplyDeleteI think the time has come for politicians to act with transparency and honesty, though difficult for them but they have to if they donot want a situation like Egypt or else where which is in news. One can not go on fooling the public, if one thinks he can then I think he is the biggest fool. The Govt should not challenge the constitutional authority knowing the facts that they have committed blunders. I am with IAC with full support.
Deletethanks