Manohar Parrikar's 'corruption' anecdote has audience in splits!

Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar made a compelling case for bringing down the interface between government authorities and the public using technology in his closing remarks at an event last week. It is only reduced interaction that will bring down the corruption, Parrikar said.

Mainly because human beings find a way of working around the system. He shared the example of a minister in Goa, without naming anyone of course. The minister’s father would often send a small note along with any file saying, "kaam kar dena" — the subtext being to sign the papers.

The interesting bit was the colour code father-son had going. If the note came on a green paper, it meant that money had exchanged hands. If on a yellow paper, talks were in advanced stages or part payment had been received. If in red, no conversation about the monetary exchange has yet taken place.

The audience was in splits when Parrikar narrated the anecdote. But corruption is hardly a laughing matter these days.