Scholars and researchers across
the globe have accepted the crucial role played by institutions in creating an
environment that is conducive to development. A closer look to all the
developed (economically, not necessarily in other aspects) economies reveal their
strong institutions. A set of strong institution ensure:
- Right functioning of public and private bodies
- Contract enforcement
- Adherence to rules and regulations
Unfortunately the emerging
economies, of course, emerging in terms of economics and not necessarily in all
important aspects, are characterized by their institutional voids. The
astonishing growths of companies in these economies are more of a result of
these institutional voids. The critical question here is – should this economic
growth be celebrated?
India is a very good example to
see how institution building has emerged in this emerging economy. In early
50s, the then Prime Minister Nehru was bestowed with the mammoth tax of building
India. Nehru and his team (which included Mahalanobis) drafted the contour that
the young nation would take. The credit of building institutions in India is
also attributed to Nehru. However, the discredit of tampering with ‘supposed to
be independent’ institutions is also attributed to Nehru’s family and more so
to Ms Gandhi and his (later disowned) son Sanjay.
A selected few institutions act
as the fulcrum of all institutions of India. The institutions include: The
parliament, the supreme court of India, the CBI, the CVC, the CAG, the UGC and
NCERT etc. Now let us examine their functioning one by one.
The Parliament
In a recent statement President
of the country, Mr Mukherjee rightly condemned the disruptions happening in the
parliament. In recent times parliament is disrupted more than ever. Debate,
dialogue and deliberations are no more the prime activities of the parliament.
Though politicians, media and
academicians have been emphasising the supremacy of parliament in democracy,
they have to accept that the way the image of this institution is getting diminished
in the mind of a common India is a serious threat that requires more polished
and sober action of politicians inside and outside the house.
Supreme Court of India
Till date the Supreme Court seems
the only institution that has managed to maintain somewhat higher degree of
sanctity. Corruption charges against the ex-chief justice, no doubt condemnable,
but could be considered as exception. Otherwise, the court has managed to
ensure that the state and its major actors have performed as per the rule of
the land.
However, the judicial system in
India requires paradigm shifts. Some lower courts have functioned on their own,
while some others are characterized by the huge number of pending cases in
them. If a common man believes that he should stay away from courts, whatever
may be the case and a business man thinks contract enforcement in India is
extremely difficult; it’s not their fault.
The CBI
CBI, unfortunately is seen as a
part of government who can grill people whenever the governments want. Recent
coal case has uncovered the real helplessness of this institution. The Supreme
Court which normally selects its words with utmost care, termed the CBI has a ‘caged
parrot’ with many masters. That brings us to the fact that this nation of a
billion people lacks a credible and independent investigating agency.
The CVC
The office of the central
vigilance commission is conspicuous by its inaction in many cases. The last time
it hit news headlines when the appointment of Chief Vigilance Commission was
questioned by the Supreme Court forcing him to resign.
The CAG
Again, the findings of the CAG
are being challenged by politicians across parties depending on their
convenience. The central government recently has found it fashionable to hit
the office of the CAG whenever they find its finding not so suitable to it.
The UGC, AICTE, NCERT
The state of educational institutions
also requires radical changes. Privatizing of educational institutions has made
education in the country so expensive that students will get more lured to
well-paying corporate jobs than investing time, energy and resources in first
hand research and innovations. It is also interesting to note that the top ranked MBA institutes of the country offer PGDM (post graduate diploma in management) degrees than MBA degrees as they prefer to stay away from the interference of UGC. Is n't that a direct reflection on the image of governing bodies of education in India?
On top of all these, even
constructive criticism of institutions in India is considered as anti-patriotism
by many. The government that openly challenges, criticizes and abuses the CAG,
considers any discussion on autonomy of the CBI as an attempt of bulldozing the
institution of CBI.
If India wants to develop,
improve and live a better life; it has to focus on institution building. That
will require the support of all stakeholders. However, looking at the state of
the affairs in the country, it would be utterly optimistic to expect better institutions
in the country in short span of time.
