Nehru, Indira and Lok Pal
I am reminded of a particular letter written to very young Indira by her doting father Nehru, specifically advising her not to do or say some thing ( concerning others) away from public view, if she cannot do the same thing in public. Verbatim I do not recollect but the spirit is what I recollect. Somehow that advice stuck in my mind which guided me in my years of public service. So long as public servants and Ministers are allowed to act in secrecy in affairs relating to public, their weaknesses in character , seduce them to compromise public interests. We have to give credit to their superior intelligence and street smartness and spirit to succeed at any cost, but once we remove the layer of secrecy and all their acts are subject to public scrutiny within 24 hours of their final decision on file, starting from at least three levels noting prior to decision making, we will see a sea-change in government's working. An honest officer will finally get credit in service an...