Anna Hazare: The face of India’s anti-corruption drive.
Anna Hazare’s dream Lokpal bill has yet to be passed but media reports show that its effects are already being felt. Across the country, there have been reported instances of government officials being extra careful about their processes or people pledging not to pay bribes anymore.
Here are some of the most eye-catching instances of the Hazare effect:
In Agra, deputy inspector general of police Aseem Arun made his subordinates pledge never to ask for or accept a bribe again. Mr. Arun has proposed using hidden cameras to detect corruption within his staff, according to a report by Indo-Asian News Service, published in the Hindustan Times.
“I was always keen to find some way to inculcate honesty in our rank and file; so after a heart to heart talk with my men, I thought of trying this experiment,” said Mr. Arun, according to the report.In Mumbai, vegetable hawkers reported a policeman who was asking them for bribes after introducing himself as a member of the Anti-Corruption Bureau. When the Mumbai police caught him, they learned that the bribe-seeker was an imposter, according to a report by Press Trust of India. A policeman said that the hawkers had been inspired by Mr. Hazare and had pledged not to pay any more bribes, according to the report.
“I was always keen to find some way to inculcate honesty in our rank and file; so after a heart to heart talk with my men, I thought of trying this experiment,” said Mr. Arun, according to the report.In Mumbai, vegetable hawkers reported a policeman who was asking them for bribes after introducing himself as a member of the Anti-Corruption Bureau. When the Mumbai police caught him, they learned that the bribe-seeker was an imposter, according to a report by Press Trust of India. A policeman said that the hawkers had been inspired by Mr. Hazare and had pledged not to pay any more bribes, according to the report.
In Andhra Pradesh, former chief minister and Telugu Desam Party president N. Chandrababu Naidu had been a big supporter of Mr. Hazare’s movement. Local media says this indirectly pushed him into a corner where he had to respond to allegations about amassing wealth inappropriately. Last week, Mr. Naidu finally declared the assets of his family – nearly 400 million rupees ($8.74 million), of which he says his assets are only four million rupees, according to Daily Bhaskar newspaper.
In Delhi, just days after Mr. Hazare ended his fast, the Delhi government said that starting Sept. 15 it would implement a law to punish government officials who don’t deliver services to citizens on time. The law was passed in March, reported India Today magazine, but at the time no date had been set for its implementation. The penalty for defaulting officers would be 10 rupees per application per day of delay, according to the report.
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