EVERY day one reads news about corruption in Bihar. Former Chief
Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav is in jail on corruption charges. There is a severe
crisis of governance within the civil services of Bihar–18 IAS and 208 Bihar
Administrative Service officers (BAS) are facing departmental proceedings on
charges of corruption, misuse of office and dereliction of duty. The General
Administration Department (GAD) has prepared a list of 12 IAS officers who have
been facing departmental proceedings from the period before March 31, 2016. The
‘Sushashan’ government of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar initiated similar
proceedings against six more IAS officials between April 2016 and February
2018. Proceedings are ongoing not only against IAS officers but 145 BAS
officers also from before March 31, 2016. The State government initiated
similar proceedings against 63 more BAS officers between April 2016 and
February 2018. The maladministration in the State seems to be at all levels: 94
employees of the Bihar Clerical Service are also facing various charges of
corruption, misuse of office and deliberate negligence of duty. Approximately 320
employees are facing departmental proceedings, if the clerical staff is
included. And, 18 state IAS officials have been suspended for serious charges
of corruption against them. One of them, Sudhir Kumar, has been in jail since
February 24 last year on the charge of leaking question papers of a recruitment
examination conducted by the Bihar Staff Selection Commission (BSSC). Kumar, a
1987-batch Bihar cadre IAS official, was the BSSC chairman at that time. Three
of his relatives, including his brother’s wife and a nephew, were also arrested
in the case. Two other IAS officials under suspension are SM Raju (1991 batch)
and Deepak Anand (2007 batch). It is learnt that Vigilance Investigation Bureau
sleuths have also arrested 83 officers/employees while accepting bribe in 2017.
It is to be seen, whether action against these officers and employees will have
a deterrent impact.
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