TACKLING THE MENACE OF CORRUPTION: NEED FOR A BROAD FRAMEWORK.

Political--bureaucratic corruption has emerged as a big challenge in our country at a time when good governance has become a necessity for survival in a globalized world. In this context, the passage of the Lokpal Bill, 2013 is considered as a positive step which would be helpful in curbing the menace of corruption at the higher level It is, however; also felt that the Lokpal alone cannot check the menace effectively until and unless it is backed by some other legal-institutional and judicial reforms. This paper seeks to examine the nature and level of corruption in our country, root causes behind corruption, the pros and cons of the Lokpal act, 2013 and what other steps need to be taken to tackle the menace effectively at all levels. It is suggested that besides rectifying some of the fault lines in the Lokpal act 2013, the government should also make provisions for effective scrutiny of source of funding of political parties, neutral intervention of technology in government's dealing with the public, transparency in acquisition and disposal of national resource, enforcing the judicial accountability and so on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]