The recent scandal involving seventy lakh being carried purportedly to the railway minister's house is an issue that should be seriously addressed. Are there any government jobs available without paying bribes to the relevant authorities? Here in Bogra, over the years and under successive administrations, I tried to help people obtain government jobs for peons, hospital workers, sweepers and so on. My success rate has been zero. In every case, the candidates came back to me to say that a large amount of money has to be paid before their application could be accepted. I approached higher authorities, but their response was: "Signed approval must be brought from higher authorities," preferably ministerial approval. How does one approach a cabinet minister to endorse an application for a peon or sweeper?
It appears that virtually every government job at this level is for sale. As a result, many deserving and qualified applicants are unable to meet the demand and thus fall by the wayside. Must this go on?
The recent railway incident is only the tip of the iceberg. Why stop there? Prime minister should thoroughly cleanse all the ministries and departments so that once more our humble and qualified citizens may be judged on their own merit for getting government jobs.