Asserting that good governance should be the unwavering goal, President Pranab Mukherjee has said that lack of good governance is the root cause of many serious deficiencies in the society as it robs the citizenry of their security and rights.

“Corruption is a threat to the democratic fabric of our country which would frustrate the efforts to bring equity to all its citizens,’’ Mukherjee said here while delivering the 14th D P Kohli Memorial lecture on the occasion of Golden Jubilee Celebrations of the CBI.

“Lack of good governance has been identified as the root cause of many of the serious deficiencies in society. It robs the citizenry of their security, and their social and economic rights,” he said.

Inclusive growth

Emphasising that growth must be inclusive and sustainable, Mukherjee said: “Poverty is still around 30 per cent and it is not something that we can live with. Statistics of economic progress will count for nothing if we are not able to uplift the marginalised sections of the society.”

He said the country is at the crossroads of transformation and cannot afford to lose the momentum of change.

“There are several challenges we face and we should face them with determination and conviction. And at the root of them is the issue of governance,” Mukherjee said.

Delivery systems

He said delivery systems need to change and only good governance can provide an answer to the problem. “If what is meant for the poor does not reach them in the proportion it is meant to, then corruption and inefficiency are its two main causes.”

Several steps have been taken towards bringing more transparency in governance which include the ratification of the UN Convention against corruption, membership of the Financial Action Task Force besides legislations to curb bribery in various quarters, he said.

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