Fight against corruption, drugs: Task cut out for Govt
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: April 20, 2022 -

THE government's objective for total obliteration of the malaise of corruption and narcotic drug smuggling/abuse from the state would simply remain a wishful thinking if the endeavours for wiping out the social ills are bereft of follow up action to initiate stringent punitive action against the wrongdoers.

For decades, corruption in Manipur has been deeply ingrained in the socio-political system that it is now seen by many as fully institutionalised.

Having realised gravity of the situation, the BJP-led government has even set up anti-corruption cell and special police units to tackle the menace.

The negative effect of perennial reign of corruption in the state could be gauged from static pace of economic growth and degeneration of the cultural values, not to mention of the seemingly public acceptance that under the table deal is a necessity rather than striving for one's re-orientation to bring redemption to the national character and image of Manipur.

While occasional reports and allegations about value of money deciding whether or not one, regardless of their qualifications, lands a government job, an unmistakable feature of the state is the newspapers running out of space due to advertisements for sale of land and other standing properties whenever there is process for fresh recruitment in government departments.

Nevertheless, as commented earlier in this column, the fight against corruption is still winnable if the government authorities have firm resolve and take the lead in cleansing the malaise from the system instead of advising the victimised hapless public to shoulder the responsibility of exposing corrupt ministers or bureaucrats.

The situation is no different in case of drug smuggling and abuse as the state has been gradually turning into mass cultivators of narcotic drug manufacturing materials such as opium poppy from being the transit route of ready-to-use psychotropic drugs from neighbouring Myanmar.

Such a trend testifies that there is substantial number of people, especially among the marginalised rural population, for whom nothing is more appealing than poppy cultivation as well as many among the middle class urban folks who seem willing to take the risk of turning into once in a while drug carriers and relish the huge profit if not arrested.

Unlike cultivation of rice, cereals and vegetables, the returns on poppy plantation and drug smuggling are significantly higher and thus see such illegal activities as most enticing.

As per official estimate, 5-7 kg of opium could be produced from one 'pari' of land while one kilogram of opium could fetch Rs 70,000 to Rs 1 lakh in the local market.

Compared to other food or cash crops, it is a significant return from an area of nearly one acre.

Thus, contrary to socio-political commentators expressing that the fight against opium poppy production in Manipur can be won only if economically viable alternatives are provided to farmers, who are hitherto excluded from development initiatives, it is imperative that there is no leniency against either the poppy growers and drug dealers or the corrupt elements within the establishment.

As such report of Prime Minister Narendra Modi advising chief minister N Biren to shoulder the responsibility of eradicating both the malaises indicates that the Union government is keeping a close watch on commitment and activities of state government to maintain transparency in governance along with sparing no efforts to save the youth from falling prey to the drug menace.

The PM seems to have rung out the clear message to chief minister N Biren to prove that the 'war on drugs' mission and the pledge to fight corruption are result-oriented and not mere political rhetoric.