This refers to the issues of corruption and governance in Jammu and Kashmir. Ours is a poor state but with a rich resource-base. It has therefore continued to be a victim of rampant corruption. Being underdeveloped, Jammu and Kashmir has sunk into a deep morass of moral ineptitude due to the high indices of corruption. This was revealed by the Transparency International which ranked the state at number 2 in the "Corruption Perception Index", few years back. Corruption has disastrous consequences for our future. So it is imperative that we undertake a microanalysis of this menace and curb it once and for all. Lack of transparency provides breeding ground for financial irregularities in different departments. Lack of accountability combined with an ineffective system of checks and balances in our governance is another cause of corruption. We are seeing a general trend of acceptability of corrupt practices. Our collective consciousness is dead. Our social living is in perpetual pursuit of materialistic ends. In such a scenario it is only natural for financial misappropriations to occur.  There is no deterrence mechanism to curb the practice. Given that our state lags behind in the development graph, corruption and allied malpractices have a disastrous impact. The state needs to strengthen the anti-corruption legislation and institutions to end the malpractice. Augmenting the State Accountability Commission and the Vigilance Commission is of paramount importance. Such institutions need to be given greater support. The onus lies squarely on the entire society.
Dr Syed Abid Rasheed Shah
syedabidrashid@gmail.com

Lastupdate on : Sun, 5 Dec 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
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