Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar, Vice Chancellor, O.P. Jindal Global University, Tells BIMTECH Students Of Their Mission Against Corruption

Online, August 7, 2012 (Newswire.com) - BIMTECH had the rare opportunity to be motivated to 'fight the good fight' by one such extraordinary teacher - the legendary Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar, Vice Chairperson, OP Jindal Global University. Speaking with inspiring eloquence on "Corruption and the Crisis of Governance in India", Professor (Dr.) Raj Kumar built the momentum for his speech by reminding the students why they were lucky to be a part of BIMTECH.

"The importance of excellent teaching can never be underestimated. The knowledge imparted here at BIMTECH especially empowers you to get the best opportunities as you graduate. Recent trends in B-schools with regard to the teaching process are worrying, because they focus on placements and packages. BIMTECH offers a much broader experience. It'll be a mistake or myopic vision if you come and join BIMTECH purely from a standpoint of 'the next better job' or 'the next big package' you'll get. Look at this from a broader perspective so that the knowledge and experience gained here will empower you to do many things in the future. You'll get multiple opportunities and will be helped to gain many perspectives," he said in an attempt to inspire the students to look at the larger picture. Professor Raj Kumar has consistently been forecasting the ultimate impact of rampant corruption in the Indian system of governance on its economic growth, much before the issue exploded in our faces. Revisiting the theme, he skillfully moved the talk to the role of business houses in the current situation.

"The issue of corruption is about the abuse of power. It is not only the public sector but even the private sector which exercises such power. The problem of corruption is much deeper. Not just lawyers, judges and parliamentarians but even business people need to be aware of it."

He cited numerous examples to the BIMTECH fraternity, including Rajat Gupta's fall from favour and recent conviction, making a strong case for why we need to re-examine the way we conduct our business. Drawing upon his immense experience, starting as a student at Oxford and Harvard, to teaching at the City University in Hong Kong, to raising the renowned O.P. Jindal Global University, Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar drew a holistic picture for the students of BIMTECH on how unchecked corruption pans out in the long run.

"Corruption has to be seen from the point of view of how it de-stabilises our society; not just in legal terms, but how it affects our ability to function effectively, transparently and with accountability within society. Around the world there are questions about the ethical deficit of individuals, institutions and judiciary. Policies for poverty alleviation and development schemes in India have been affected. We are slowly reaching a stage when our trust in democracy and democratic institutions will be under-mined. Organisations, like the Maoists, around the country have lost faith in the ability of Indian institutions to effectively deliver."

Professor Raj Kumar's latest book entitled 'Corruption and Human Rights in India: Comparative Perspectives on Transparency and Good Governance', published by the Oxford University Press, has been widely accepted as a work of great insight. Making some of the points raised in the book, he then clinically analysed for the benefit of the BIMTECHfraternity why the current tools for reigning in corruption are not enough.

"There are various laws formed to fight corruption, but India does not institutionalise the culture for the respect of rule of law. Legislation, purely by its sanctioning powers, cannot be expected to effectively enforce anti-corruption laws. India has reached a point where corruption fundamentally affects all institutions of government; it is a crisis of legitimacy... a crisis of existence now. The international ranking of India on the Human Development Index is going down continuously. Corruption has undermined our ability to act effectively and fulfil basic human rights. After the tsunami, the money donated by individuals and institutions was misused by some NGOs. It's an indicator that corruption has spread to nongovernmental organisations as well."

Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar is an internationally renowned expert in the areas of human rights and development, terrorism and national security, corruption and governance, law and disaster management, and comparative constitutional law and legal education. He has been a consultant to the United Nations University, Tokyo, the United Nations Development Programme, and the International Council for Human Rights Policy, Geneva. His opinions frequently find space in national dailies like the Hindustan Times, The Tribune and The Hindu.

"There are only two examples in the world - Singapore and Hong Kong - where specific efforts with the view to empower the citizenry and focus on transparency and accountability of power holders, became the reason for a successful fight against corruption. In India, such efforts have met with stiff resistance from the State itself. RTI has made an important impact, but there is a need for a whistle-blower protection law which can ensure the trust of people who want to fight against corruption. You must encourage the public and private institutions where you will work to promote such laws within their structure."

Having given the young guns from BIMTECH their mission, Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar reminded his audience that corruption can be eradicated.

"Public sectors such as telephone services and railways were highly corrupt before certain drastic reforms like privatisation in the former and technological reforms in railways, led to an almost complete neutralisation of corruption in these fields. You are the managers of tomorrow; take this fight to eradicate corruption to your organisations."

After a standing ovation for this inspiring talk by the great academician, Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar, the future managers stepped out of the BIMTECH auditorium with a far greater sense of purpose; sufficiently invigorated and sensitised to take on the scourge of corruption.