CORRUPTION

 CORRUPTION IN INDIA

Corruption is the misuse of power for personal gain. It can take many forms, such as bribery, embezzlement, influence peddling, nepotism, and patronage. Corruption undermines good governance, ethical values, and public trust.

It is the abuse of entrusted power for private gain. Corruption erodes trust, weakens democracy, hampers economic development and further exacerbates inequality, poverty, social division and the environmental crisis.

Majority of us are aware of the term “corruption” as it is frequently used in daily parlance. What is corruption? Different pictures emerge in our mind.  The most plausible reference to the nature of corruption could be assessed in the words of Joe Bidden, 47th Vice President of the United States of America, “Corruption is just another form of tyranny.” The statement weighs corruption as equivalent to that of cruel and oppressive rule of government. However, for a common man/woman, corruption is a challenge, that he/she faces every day for protecting his/her fundamental rights and other privileges provided to him as human beings guaranteed by the Constitution. Corruption in public life is a way to get selfish gains through illegal methods and by misuse of public posts and public property. Corruption for private firms/companies is all about making unfair profits by exploiting the employees and consumers by circumventing government laws.  Corruption prevails in every sector and at every level in the country whether big or small. Corrupt means and unfair ways are used to accomplish several big and small tasks by people belonging to the government as well as private sectors. This is because people want to make big bucks without much hard work.

A study conducted by Transparency International in 2005 recorded that more than 62% of Indians had at some point or another paid bribe to a public official to get the job done. In 2008, another report showed that about 50% of Indians had firsthand experience of paying bribes or using contacts to get services performed by public offices; however, in 2018 the CPI (Corruption Perception Index) ranked the country 78th place out of 180 countries, reflecting steady decline in perception of corruption among people. The government and the political parties in India are known for their corrupt ways. Instead of indulging in corrupt practices, they should rather work for overcoming the problem of corruption. They must set an example for the citizens and inspire them to work with honesty and dedication to reach their goals rather than use corrupt means. Anyone can stand for the elections and form a political party in India. The eligibility criterion does not include a person’s educational qualifications. There are Ministers who haven’t even attended a school and have negligible knowledge about the Indian political system. There are also those who have criminal records. When the country is being governed by such people, corruption is bound to happen. A minimum educational qualification criterion must be set for entering public life in politics. Only those candidates who meet the educational criteria and have a clean personal record must be allowed to contest the elections. The candidates who win the elections must then be trained to handle various duties and responsibilities assigned to them. An educated and well-trained person can certainly run the country better than others. There must be a set protocol for everything and the activities of the Ministers must be monitored by a higher authority to see if they are following it.

A society filled with educated people is likely to face less corruption. When people are not educated, they use unfair and corrupt means to earn their livelihood. The vast majority still do not understand the importance of education and this leads to increase in corruption. Untamed greed and growing competition in the market are also the reasons for growing corruption. People these days have become extremely greedy. They want to earn more than their relatives and friends and in this mad rush they do not hesitate to employ corrupt means to realise their dreams. Everyone wants the country to be free of corruption and criticizes the government for not doing anything in this direction without pinning oneself for being the cause of it.

As an arm of the Corruption, Justice and Legitimacy Program, the Blog challenges conventional thinking and takes a deep dive into critical issues in the field, such as systems-based approaches to corruption, social norms, gender, and research methods. Featuring guest posts from leading experts, practitioners, and our own team, topics range from quick-bite summaries of new research findings from Iraq to Uganda, to provocative thought pieces intended to challenge dominant paradigms and practices. 

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