Population, corruption are main hindrances to the development: NHRC chairperson -Governance Now

Population, corruption are main hindrances to the development: NHRC chairperson

A deep-seated organised political or systematic corruption can paralyse a nation, says HL Dattu

GN Bureau | August 19, 2016

#corruption #human rights #NHRC #HL Dattu #population #development

HL Dattu, chairperson, NHRC

Growing population and corruption are the two main hindrances in the way of good governance towards the development of India, said justice HL Dattu, chairperson, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). Citing examples of the Right to Information Act and the Digital India campaign, he said that there has been some progress in bringing transparency in governance and fighting the simpler forms of corruption but deep-seated organised political or systematic corruption can paralyse a nation.

While inaugurating a two-day national seminar on ‘Good governance, development and human rights’, organised by the commission in collaboration with the National Law University at its campus in New Delhi, justice Dattu said that the best way to combat corruption is that the governments must strive to rid themselves of corruption and bribery. They should become accountable and transparent in order to preserve the integrity of democracy.

The NHRC chairperson said that corruption typically diverts funding from state budgets which should be dedicated to the full realisation of all human rights. We need to promote more researches for finding tenable solutions to end the menace of corruption. He said that without achieving certain optimum standards of efficiency, it would be difficult for the country to reach the 17 new sustainable developments goals set by the United Nations for overall improvements of society.

He said that the NHRC is committed to good governance towards the protection and promotion of human rights of all. A country cannot be considered having good governance, if the people of that country are corrupt and the population grows rapidly. Corruption destroys economic foundations, impedes the ability of developing countries to attract foreign investment. It also hinders the growth of democratic institutions affecting human rights.

Prof Ranbir Singh, vice chancellor, National Law University, said that with more and more people with criminal background getting elected to parliament, how could anyone expect that human rights will be protected. Citing several instances, he highlighted that right to equality, dignity, life and liberty in the country still appear to be a distant dream for many.

Prof GS Bajpai, registrar, National Law University, said that strengthening of institutional mechanism will be necessary to ensure sustainable development.

Dr Ranjit Singh, joint secretary, NHRC, said that the good governance is a feel good factor. Giving a historical perspective to the evolution of human rights and good governance, he said that the country can reap the benefits of its demographic dividend only by ensuring good governance leading to realisation of human rights for all.

The seminar, divided into various academic and thematic sessions, will be addressed by several prominent speakers to identify the areas of concerns impeding good governance and realisation of human rights for all.

Comments

Other News

Climate actions being implemented to deal with impact of heat waves

India’s climate actions cut across various sectors and are being implemented through various programs and schemes of different union ministries, departments and state/ union territory governments. The government of India through concerned ministries and departments organises workshops, exhibiti

Banks must hear borrowers before declaring their accounts as frauds: SC

In a judgment with far-reaching implications, the Supreme Court has held that the civil consequences of an account being declared as fraud under the Reserve Bank of India (Frauds Classification and Reporting by Commercial Banks and Select FIs) Directions, 2016 or its Master Directions on Fraud amount to ci

India’s forest cover increases by 5,516 sq km in four years

The Dehradun-based Forest Survey of India (FSI), an organization under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, carries out the assessment of forest cover biennially since 1987 and the findings are published in the India State of Forest Report (ISFR). As per the latest ISFR 2021, there is a

Steps taken to meet higher power demand of April-May

While the average growth of energy requirement in the country for 2023-24 viz-a-viz 2022-23 has been estimated as 4.9%, the months of April and May have been projected as high demand period. During the current year, the peak demand is expected to be around 229 GW during the summer period. The government ha

Millets to make comeback in army ration after half a century

As the UN has declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets, the Indian Army has steered introduction of millets flour in the rations of soldiers. This landmark decision will ensure troops are supplied with native and traditional grains after over half a century, when these were discontinued in favour

Central Bank Digital Currency has game-changing potential

When discussing digital currency, you might think of one or two well-known varieties. There is the digital representation of currency that you access with mobile and online banking services. This currency is the liability of a commercial bank. There is also cryptocurrency, a digital medium of exchange issu