Based on readers' suggestions and talks with sociologists and politicians, HindustanTimes.com explores how to lower crime rates in Bihar.
What politicians say
Change the state government. It isn't just supporting criminals, it is being run by criminals. There will be no reprieve until the current dispensation is voted out.
What sociologists say
The political-criminal nexus is very strong, and has to be broken. It's not just the ruling party, put also opposition parties that support criminals.
What the common man says
Remove the state government, and put Bihar under President's or Army rule. Bring in "tough" police officers to lead the force (suggestions include KPS Gill, CBI's UN Biswas who arrested Lalu in the Fodder scam case, former SP from Bihar DN Gautam and "officers from the Mumbai crime branch). Strengthen the judiciary.
Bihar's high crime rate is rooted in its warped socio-political structure. Men with money have few investment opportunities to increase their income, and so they invest in crime. Men without money have few job opportunities to earn an income, and so they turn to crime.
To reduce crime rates, the state needs to reduce the need for its people to take to crime. This will happen by creating opportunities for moneyed men to invest in, and earn from, development projects, and for others to work in and earn from these projects.
{{/usCountry}}To reduce crime rates, the state needs to reduce the need for its people to take to crime. This will happen by creating opportunities for moneyed men to invest in, and earn from, development projects, and for others to work in and earn from these projects.
{{/usCountry}}Crime and Development
In India and around the world, crime rates are lowest at places where business is flourishing and development is high. Bihar has no dearth of sectors where investment is needed. Education, health, infrastructure, industry, agriculture -- each of them is crying for capital inflow.
The state government mostly professes paucity of funds to provide this inflow. It should now allow private money to take over this responsibility, and earn from it. Indeed, it should go a step ahead and actively seek this investment from the state's moneyed class.
Investment should be directed to meet the pressing needs of the state. A panel of state planning officers and potential investors can be set up to prioritise sectors for investment, whose decisions are then followed carefully.
De-incentivising Crime
Jobs, or at least a high percentage of them, on new projects should be reserved for graduates from Bihar's own universities. This will hold back many of these youngsters from turning to crime, and many others from leaving the state for opportunities outside.
The suggestions in Teaching Bihar include reforming the state's higher education to make it job-oriented, and setting up a body to recommend courses according to arising job requirements. This body can work with the panel prioritising investment to attune education and training to required manpower profiles.
These measures will reduce the incentive for people to turn to crime, while increasing the incentive to study, stay and work legally in the state.
It will redirect money currently going into criminal activities towards development projects. It will also stem the tide of criminals turning to politics -- which, for most, is only another means of making money.
A job programme for convicts, once they have served their sentence, can also be useful in reducing recidivism (rate of people "returning" to criminal ways).