First published on http://indiaopines.com/stop-corruption-india/
Corruption today
can be called a malaise attached to the largest democracy of the world i.e.
India. From getting your birth certificate to your driving license to getting a
loan passed to build your home, nothing goes without giving a bribe. The numbers
of scams appearing one after another, plus the amounts of money roped in, acts
like a slap on the face of an honest civilian who is working hard day and night
to feed his family. In a developing nation like ours, the development will soon
cease instead of spreading. The citizens have become so much accustomed to it
that the dividing lines between the corrupt and non-corrupt are merging.
By
definition, corruption can be called a problem of routine deviation from the
established norms set by public officials and parties. World Bank defines it as
the misuse of public property for
private gain. It can range, however, from embezzlement of public money to abuse
of power i.e. asking for bribes. A study conducted by Transparency International in 2005, said
that in India, more than 62% of Indians have had a first-hand experience of
paying bribes or influencing to get jobs done in public offices successfully.
Later in 2012, India was ranked 94th out of 176 countries in
Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index, tying with countries
like Colombia, Djibouti, Greece, Mongolia, etc.
As revealed by many studies, “The
more the corruption, the slower the economic growth.” Other effects include
the rise of inflation, increase in black money, an unstable marketplace and risk
of investment, thus the rich becoming richer and the poor becoming poorer. At
times, corruption in India is so habitual that it is believed that it’s a
natural or inborn feature of the Indian democracy.
Ways to control
The increasing corruption in India has
increased the frustration of the people. this was witnessed when the Aam
aadmi came on the streets to support the activist, Anna Hazare who sat on a
fast. He had the demand of implementing the Lokpal bill that will appoint a
Lokpal to look into the officials indulging in corrupt practices at both state
and central level. All over India, there was an immense support reckoned to
Hazare by the commoners and the Government finally had to submit to the demands
of the people.
·
Stringent
actions must be taken to ensure that corruption is reduced. Since the
government itself is seen involving into scams like 2G spectrum scam,
Commonwealth scam, Adarsh Housing scam, Coal mining scam, etc, the citizens and
the statutory bodies must take initiative to curb this malpractice. People have
taken initiatives to fight against corruption through citizen websites and
social media activism like ipaidabribe.com and India Against Corruption. The
problem still is slow working judiciary that takes time to pronounce any conviction
in most corruption charges. Moreover, with the growth of cities, corruption also
grows as more and more intermediaries are needed between the central government
and the people.
·
Setting up of
strict laws and along with them, strict enforcement of these laws will help
fight against corruption. As indicated by an article in Harvard International
Review (HIR), there are plans to update anti-corruption laws by “eliminating
loopholes and introduce an amnesty period of three months during which all
those who have black money can claim it legally by paying an income tax of 21%”
·
There are
bodies like CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) and CVC (Central Vigilance
Commission to look into cases of high officials getting involved into
corruption. There should be no control of the government on these bodies and
they should act independently to bring in effective results.
·
Research indicates
that India can control corruption by training its civil servants to a more
professional level with skills in auditing, accountancy, and legal matters. If
this step would have taken at the time of liberalization, the scenario could
have been much different as oversight and scrutiny from within the
administration would have increased. Moreover, there would have been a greater
understanding and respect of administrative procedures, thereby reducing
corruption and increasing development in India.
The nation’s reputation and the future
of the youth are at a stake and it is the responsibility of the politicians as
well as the bureaucrats to pave a path of bright future for the nation.
