In a massive shakeup in Bengal, chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s diktat to her Trinamool partymen to return the cut money that they had taken from the people appears to be having an impact on the ground. A TMC booth president gave back Rs 2.25 lakh that he had taken from labourers in Chatra village of Birbhum district. The amount was supposed to be paid by government for drainage repair work in the village. This is a familiar story across Bengal. Cut money or commission charged by party workers for facilitating access to government scheme benefits is a huge problem that has existed for years. And since TMC essentially took over the Left machinery when it came to power in Bengal in 2011, the commission system and syndicate raj continued unabated.

In fact, BJP had made cut money a big issue in the Lok Sabha polls in Bengal. It clearly had resonance among the people given the party’s impressive performance in the state. This in turn appears to have jolted Mamata into action and now even a helpline has been set up in Kolkata for people to lodge complaints against those asking for bribes. Cut money corruption affects everyday people as corrupt politicians act as gatekeepers to welfare schemes and licences. It undermines governance and damages the efficacy of welfare programmes.

The solution lies in moving to direct benefit transfer for welfare schemes. DBT eliminates human interface in transactions, thereby curbing the scope for cut money. In fact, moving to digital platforms and enhancing e-governance for all manner of applications and licences ought to be the way forward. We need more technology in administration to make governance smooth and corruption-free. Since electoral politics has forced Mamata to take cognisance of this issue, her government should reform delivery of government services through technology forthwith.