Corruption in Secretariat

[Anil]

Believe me, not a single word of this is fiction. It’s rather a faithful reproduction of what one of my friends has to face while dealing with the AP State Secretariat. <BR>Almost all Research Scholars of Indian origin living in USA, if they want to take up a job (to change their J1 visa to H1) has to obtain a NORI (No Obligation to Return to India) certificate. It involves getting a clearance from the State Home Department, HRD-Delhi and the Regional Passport Office. The HRD-Delhi and the RPO are very prompt and do not charge anything more than the requisite fee and usually issue the certificate with in 15 days in all genuine and eligible cases. However, when it comes to Secretariat, its one big hell of a task to get the clearance. Ask any Research Scholar here, especially from AP, each one has a harrowing tale. The rates are anywhere between Rs 3000 to Rs 12000 depending upon how soon you need it and how badly you need it. Wait, money alone doesn’t do the tricks. You have to \"pull some strings\". You should know at least somebody in the Secretariat. If you know a section officer, then you can get away with Rs 3000 (the minimum amount). That\'s how it goes. And in spite of all this, how much time do they take to issue the certificate - at least 5 weeks! And, it doesn\'t stop with Secretariat. The next is the Intelligent Dept. A head constable comes to your home for enquiry and is quite audacious to quote his \"figure\". <BR>Most of the Research Scholars covert the rupees to dollars, so it comes to may be a two-weeks grocery ($65) or half-a-month\'s apartment rent ($300) in USA. And to expedite the process they merrily cough up this sum and get their work done. Once they come here, they start telling tales about corruption and how glad they are to be in USA and don\'t have to live in corrupt country like India! <BR> Hearing all this, I started questioning myself, who is at fault - the corrupt staff or the \"enlightened scholars\" with highest degrees (PhDs) who are entertaining these corrupt officials! <BR>I have a suggestion, why not the Government makes it all official? When someone doesn\'t bother to cough up $50-$300, charge them, make it official (as some fee), streamline the whole process and put this money to use for some welfare programs. Rooting out corruption? No chance and quite difficult! So, let’s legalize it. Give a name to it (some tariff, fee, etc.). That way it doesn\'t end up in the coffers of some few corrupt individuals. OK, how to tackle the “pulling strings” menace. Well, it’s a lesser evil. But still…. <BR>One thing is clear, in spite of all the hoopla over e-governance, the level of corruption in delivery of a service is just as rampant as it was before. In fact, a survey showed that the time required “to move” a file in these centers (or CARDs, as they are popularly known) is no faster than that in non-computerized centers, indicating continuing high levels of corruption. I am sure every one of us has a tales of corruption to corruption to share. Corruption is a dreadful disease, talk about it, bring to fore, someone will act, someone will try to find a remedy!

[that was yesterday\'s lunch man!]

Our chief minister wants everyone to sleep, eat and drink computers and Microsoft Windows... Where will the poor constables and clerks get the chips if you legalize this process? Okay, let\'s think it is legalized then, the fees should be collected in terms of hard disk or processor or monitor... That\'s a better idea I guess. What is Naidu having for breakfast today? MS Windows 2003?

[Anil]

I don\'t think \"computerization\" has anything to do with corruption. Corruption was there even before there were computers. One of the aims of computerization of all departments was to make everything accountable, a first step towards curtailing corruption. But it failed quite miserably in this aspect. WHY? that\'s the question that needs to be given a thought of. Criticising Babu and his policies, let\'s leave it to YSR - he is quite adept it Think of some probable/possible solutions! And one more thing, corruption simply has no justification. Period. Just because someone is drawing a low pay doesn\'t give him/her to indulge in malpractices.

[Anu_G]

Anil- your point is well noted. But let me ask you this (and do not say \"what\'s the use?\") did you WRITE to anyone in AP Government like the Chief Minister or his office or the Chief Secretary et cetera? Paper letter AND e-mails will help. Specific instances will help. Instead of \"my friend said this\", ask your friend to present his own case. The problem is no body wants to WRITE to APPRPRIATE PEOPLE but want to complain all the time. And this is not against you Anil but in general. That is Desi Mentality .. PAL -- you there somewhere listening?

[d]

At MCH: while I was in Hyderabad last, I needed my birth cert. went to the MCH, wrote the req. letter, gave it to the concerned officer and waited and waited and waited for them to locate the books. Meanhwile I had a \'parrot-astrologist\' give my astrology for the day and for my whole life. spent a lot of time,and yet did not get the cert that day nor for the next one week.Was to leave the next day, Went to the concerned officer and asked whatsup, he said, not able to locate it, YET. went to the top officer, told him, needed it right away since leaving for USA the next day, pl. help! got it right away !! well..?

Another incident at a Bank: long line. needed to open an a/c also make a deposit. stood in line to open a/c.. waited and waited for somebody to come and attend to my work. went to the manager and told him i need to open an a/c, he said, pl. wait, somebody will surely come. waited totally for 1 hr 45 mts. went to manager, said, got to leave soon, have very short time in \'India\'. Ears perked up. \"Pl. have a seat. \"arre, raamu, ek pepsi can laa\". and the work was done in exactly 20 minutes.

[D]

It pains to see the curruption in our country and yes wrote many letters, sent some thru prominent officials. tch.tch.

[N]

privatize everything !!! job security is what is creating the problem !!!!! y doesnt the govt come up with something like........if u want to work in govt services u\'ve goto serve the defence forces for 5 yrs.....atleast some discipline will come.

[Anil]

Anu_G, Is this some \"Anil vs Pal\" duel and you taking sides of Pal;) Anyway, how do you think my friend finally got his NORI. He pulled the strings via the home minister\'s office. And do you know what did the Principal Secretary said: \"meerendayya, entho koncham ichesi mee pani ayyatattu choosukovali. Eee godvallala endhuku padtharu\" (OK I can\'t write much in Telugu - roughly translated it says, \"what\'s wrong with you, give something to these guys and get your work done\"). And a very friendly suggestion: please don\'t look at everything a NRI says through a jaundiced vision and rub it aside as another instance of \"desi-mentality\". Call it selfish (even though, I tend to call it as practical) or whatever, when someone has a time constraint and his/her whole career depends on this one letter what else he/she will do but spend some bucks and get their work done? They definitely can\'t afford to go knock on the door of CM. Is our CM really so approachable - Now that\'s a big news to me!!!! But bringing this to fore later (I see that as sensible and very practical) will at least see that others don\'t suffer. In fact, my friend already sent mails to the offices concerned (not that he or myself expect any action to be ever taken against those officials concerned).

[Anu_G]

Yo Anil - I am also an NRI.. ok.. I\'ve gone through hoops myself albeit from being a student to H1 to GC. I know what you are talking. As to me siding with \'Pal\' that is because he is right and you are wrong. You yourself said you would pay to get your work done. If there are people like you who are willing to pay, then there will be people like those at Secretariat who would be willing to get paid. Do not blame the system alone. Take 50% of the blame yourself for encouraging it. As to \'getting things done\', in a country like India, you need a lot of time, patience and effort to get it done. Unfortunately your piss poor planning does not constitute an emergency on the part of Secretariat, expecially when you yourself admit some people like you will pay to get things done. Do not pay and criticize. Only those who did the necessary to fight the system are elgibile to complain. Your are, sadly, not one of them.

[Anil]

Dear, dear, dear Anu_G, Would you please care to read the posting properly instead of just shooting off the mouth rather than head and making the whole thing a sort of one-upmanship contest! Yes, I still say, I don\'t mind paying to get my things done. What I suggested was give me a receipt for it - in other words make it accountable. As to that hackneyed \"you are not eligible to complain\" yadaa yadaa.... that\'s all good in cinemas or some communist literature. If your mother is on the death bed, the doctor is demanding an exorbitant fee (there is no one else to treat her and you have enough money to pay him), what would you do? Run from pillar to post filing complaint letters against the doctor or erect a shamiana and start an indefinite hunger strike or may be organize a neo-Dandi march? OR just be practical, pay the fee, save your mother and then think of getting back at the corrupt doctor and teach him an unforgettable lesson? That’s the Survival Mantra! Pay first and then it is the pay-back or get-back time! <BR>Do you think if I or rather my friend had planned all this application process with ample amount of time would have saved him from coughing up some hard-earned bucks? Oh Dear! Oh Dear! Please wake up! If only these bureaucratic procedures were so systematic and time-bound? And what emergency situations you are referring to? There is an entirely separate division devoted exclusively with NORI\'s in Secretariat (part of the passport Section B) and do you know how many applications they receive in a year? Hardly 30. So, it is about 3 applications per month. Moreover, if the Passport office (which is the most busiest organization) and the HRD, Delhi (which gets applications from throughout India) can process the same form in less than 2 weeks what makes the Secretariat slack. So, your casting aspersions on my \"piss poor planning\" simply fall flat. And in fact, there are times in life when even the most meticulous planning will simply go haywire. <BR>OK, one more thing. I have never blamed the system but rather called for some opinions. The whole purpose of this board was to create an awareness of the heights of corruption in various departments and not to elicit knee-jerk reflexes and it is definitely not a contest to be won. And this board is not a judiciary proceeding where one can pass judgment saying someone is right or wrong. This habit of judging others, well, it simply reeks! One either concurs with someone or differs - as simple as that. And finally, its high time, we stop playing the \"desi-mentality\" card ad-nauseum – should start think something new. Strangely, even the jokes surrounding this hardly evoke a forced smile! Next time you want to blame anyone, think of something novel - we are horribly tired of this whole \"desi-mentality\" card!

[Arch]

anil I second your thoughts. they are practical and feasible. It is so happening everywhere, in india and abroad too, and as you said, we have to fight it,certainly. fighting it does not mean we do not get our work done, there are certain things which do not wait. got to pay, get it done.