Focus on governance principles to fight corruption: Arun Maira

NEW DELHI: There is a need to focus on the principles of governance to curb corrupt businesses practices, Planning Commission member Arun Maira said today.

"A measure to tackle the problem is by fixing standards in different industries. But it is imperative to address the fundamental question that when setting guidelines, it must be the society as a whole that benefits and not just a few persons, companies or representatives," Maira said in a conference here.

"Bribery in one level is about paying and about getting, paying to get something that you are not legally entitled to ... and these transactions take place in a system which is corrupt. And more corrupt is the system, more is the temptation to bribe for the sake of performance," he said.

Government is considering laws, including the Prevention of Bribery of Foreign Public Officials Bill, the Whistleblower Protection Bill, and the new Companies Bill, to check corrupt practices, he said.

Speaking at the conference, Kiran Karnik, former Nasscom president, said, "Competition is the controller and dispenser of corruption. Media activism and civil society are most critical components in fighting bribery in business transactions and that this is a developmental phase that we are passing through."

Karnik said corruption has two types--coercive and cohesive. "The former being part of the system and the latter where individuals and companies benefit," he said.

He said it can be tackled by transparency, where Right to Information Act has been a major drive.