NHRC study after Kalam poser on graft

Retired judge Shiv Raj Patil, member, NHRC, who is looking after the Commission’s recent campaign against corruption told The Indian Express that ‘‘in deference with the President’s wishes, we would be commissioning the study very soon.’’

The President had suggested that before launching a serious campaign to eradicate corruption, it was important for the Commission to analyse factors that made Kerala and Himachal Pradesh corruption-free while other states still grappled with the menace.

Besides, the NHRC is also finalising a list of must-dos for the Central and State governments to ensure that ‘‘corruption does not come in the way of common man’s rights to equality and life.’’

One of the key recommendations of the NHRC, sources said, is likely to be about mandatory protection from the state to whistle-blowers like Satyendra Dubey.

With India being ranked somewhere midway in the world order of the corruption index, Patil says the estimates of money paid as bribe in the country was astonishing. ‘‘According to a study conducted in 11 government departments, a whopping Rs 21,068 crores was paid only as bribe. The estimates in all the departments is somewhere near to Rs 50,000 crore,’’ he said.

Patil has, however, clarified that with this campaign the NHRC was not going to turn itself into an anti-corruption bureau. ‘‘NHRC has no mechanism to deal with this menace but wherever we feel that corruption is coming in the way of citizens’ right to life and dignity we are going to intervene.’’

aasha.khosa@expressindia.com