We must be accountable too,say top industrialists

Ratan Tata,Chairman,Tata Sons,said corruption has been rising and those who do not participate in it only stand to lose in business as it is a non-level playing field. “It has only become worse and more difficult. If you choose not to participate in this,then you leave behind a fair amount of business because unlike in 1991,it is not only in license approvals. It is now in awarding contracts,in change in the terms of contractual obligation,” said Tata at the function in Mumbai. To young employees who would rather that Tata be part of this,he would reply,“I would rather like to hold my head high.”

Highlighting the need for fair practices for the long term sustainability of business,Narayana Murthy said,“One can bribe his way to make a $10 million company but if you want to make a $1billion company there is no other way but to do the business rightly.” The root cause of corruption in the country,Tata said,can be traced to a situation of national shortage,given that India is a country of great disparity.

“With shortages come payments for not standing in line. When we become a country of plenty,this would disappear,” he said. The wide gap between India and China,he said,was a result of difference in the political systems. “The Chinese government is more result oriented. While there are pluses of democracy there are minuses too,” Tata said. Spelling out her grief at the current state of affairs,Anu Aga said businesses cannot survive if the society fails. Aga,who is also a member of the National Advisory Council,said there are issues of high malnutrition,health and education in the country and businesses will have to come forward to tackle these.