DESAM seminar dissects ills of corruption
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, September 01 2012: A three-day seminar on 'Corruption Muthatsi Nattrabadi Eikhoi Mutlagani', literally meaning 'weed out corruption before it kills us all', commenced from today at the Manipur university Anthropology Department under the aegis of Democratic Students' Alliance of Manipur (DESAM) .

Delivering the opening speech of the seminar, DESAM vice president M Angamba highlighted that corruption is currently the hottest issue of debate in India as its impact is afflicting every section of the society.

From highest office of the nation to the lowest strata of the Indian society, corruption has had a crippling effect in the country with Manipur too seriously afflicted by the malaise that Ministers are being sarcastically referred as 10 percent Ministers due to insistence on certain amount of percentage cuts, said the student activist.

Contending that without greasing palms of Ministers and bureaucrats no welfare programmes could be implemented in the State, he regretted that inspite of severity of the situation there is hardly any debate or movement against corruption in Manipur.

A resource person during the seminar on 'ills of corruption'.

Corruption in Manipur is so rampant that the general people are compelled to consider corruption as an essential component of life, Angamba noted while cautioning that Manipuri society will be mired in all sorts of problem if the malaise is allowed to spread further.

Quoting a Supreme Court decree that likened "corruption in a civilised society to cancer, which if not detected in time is sure to malign the polity of the country leading to disastrous consequences", he stated that the reference is most relevant to the present situation in Manipur.

Expressing that there is need for the people to debate on the ill-effects of corruption in Manipur, Angamba affirmed that corruption could be weeded out only when the masses understand and act against corrupt practices.

Maintaining that present-day corruption is posing great danger to the future generation, he also emphasised that the youths have to take the lead role in tackling the menace of corruption.

As a resource person on the first day of the seminar, JNU, Delhi's Associate Professor Dr Angomcha Bimol Akoijam deliberating on 'Reflection on Political Culture and Its Political Economy' iterated that corruption is very high in India with Manipur too facing similar situation as there is still no effective mechanism to combat the illicit practice.

Citing lack of accountability in executing welfare projects and misuse of development fund as the main factors for Manipur figuring among the worst-hit States in terms of corruption, he also regretted the people's concept of corruption as a part of life.

Noting that financial institutions have been investing huge amount of money on development projects, Dr Angomcha predicted that larger the amount of development funds corruption paradigm will become even more widespread and severe.

Blaming existing political culture in Manipur for the ever burgeoning graft cases, he also ridiculed the often-repeated comments by political leaders on developing the tourism sector against the backdrop of the people yearning for regular power supply.

Stating that it would be a far-fetched dream to expect growth in the tourism industry when even the basic necessities could not be ensured to the people, Dr Angomcha suggested that focus should be on improving basic infrastructure such as regular power supply, health care services and roads for attracting tourists to Manipur.

Apart from transparency in governance the people need to sustain unified movement against corruption, he said.

While Child Psychologist Dr M Nabakumar deliberated on 'Corruption and Child Development', LMS Law College Lecturer Dr N Pramod elaborated on 'Laws to weed out corruption' .