Corruption is a worldwide phenomenon and is ubiquitous. It is rightly said that when a character is lost, everything is also lost. Corruption has increased by leaps and bounds which is in direct relation to our lust for money, power, moral degradation, devaluation of human values, and destruction of character. The government heads, political leaders and people at the top of the affairs area corrupt. No country is immune from corruption. There can be some difference of degrees but as far its pervasiveness, quality and gravity are concerned, there is no difference.
Corruption In India
In India, corruption is rampant and is present in every nook and corner starting from business, education, security and research, politics, public life and administration. There are scams and scandals from the Taj heritage corridor scandal to the Bofors scandal. Unlike western countries, in India, there is no tradition or system to bring the corrupt persons to trial and make the person pay for the crime. It is the principal feature of Indian corruption.
Former International strategic affairs analyst Mr. Krishnaswamy Subrahmanyam gave a witty remark that “Long before the beginning of economic globalization, India became global in respect to political corruption.” Therefore, narcotics barons, protection rackets, smugglers and vice syndicates have become patrons of various political parties. The biggest example is the Securities scam. Mr. Harshad Mehta plotted the events in such a way that enable him to draw millions of rupees fraudulently from various banks under the noses of high officials, managers and members of the staff of the Reserve Bank.
Corruption has already become a way of life here in India. Due to lack of political will, there is no effective check. Investigations by vigilance departments and CBI against the bureaucrats have proved fruitless due to the power of nepotism, manipulation and money. Gratifications, kickbacks, commissions and bribes are the order of the day. Students pay grants for admission in professional courses, job-seekers buy positions in the administration, greedy contractors grease the engineer’s palms to use sand instead of cement for contractual constructions and lastly, business honchos use proper lubricant for the smooth running of their illegal operations. The god-fearing and honest officials are not courageous and criticize the bribe-happy and dishonest colleagues.
The factors for Corruption in India
Mismanagement & Unemployment
Mismanagement has led to weak control of the workings of different departments which led to lack of power and coordination among various levels in an organization. This unsupervised and uncontrolled administration led to large-scale corruption. Hike in prices and the crisis in the economy lead to unemployment and change in one’s lifestyle. People lose their patience for again working hard, so they indulge in various unscrupulous means to get a lucrative salary and post.
Lack of Leadership
One of the causes of corruption is lack of proper leadership. They play a significant role in eliminating various social evils and there is urgent need of good leaders. These leaders can lead people towards development, growth and progress of the nation. Our country needs more Medha Patkars, Mahatma Gandhis and Anna Hazares. People are more interested in improving their personal lives instead of protecting the country and raising their voices against malpractices. That’s why the effort of the good leaders gets diminished due to inadequate support from the fellow countrymen. Citizens think that it is a waste of time to support leaders to eradicate corruption and have accepted the corruption a part of their lives.
Low Remunerations
Due to low remunerations, government employees like office staff, clerks, etc. follow the bribery route to get a handsome amount. The working conditions in various places are bad, so the employees become frustrated and adopt illegal methods to have a better living. A vast number of educated youth is unemployed and is ready to pay a hefty amount for a stable job. The greedy employers take a bribe and provide appointment letters. Now the appointed personnel will use all illegal and legal means to recover the lost money as soon as possible. These rituals of corruption continue from generations without any control and check.
Concrete steps for Eradicating Corruption
Electoral Reforms
Donating cash to political parties should be a criminal offense according to law. Electoral malpractices like alcohol, providing money to the voters must be curbed with immediate arrest of the recipients and the giver and the candidates voting right should be canceled. There should be democracy cess of 0.25 percent for the collection of resources for all expenses of election to political parties. One should contest elections with minimum experience and qualification. Ministers must get incentives based on their performances and also draw corporate-style salaries like done in Singapore government.
Outsourcing
Except for the core functions of the government, everything else must be outsourced. There should be proper monitoring of the service quality and hefty penalties must be enforced for not maintaining the service standards. The government should outsource the services to the organizations having a proper track record bidding highest value. Each department should appoint a government official according to its requirements rather selecting by SSC or UPSC. Fitness and performance need to be the sole criteria for promotion.
Merge Similar Laws & Revise Outdated ones
The government should merge similar laws and remove unnecessary regulations. The delivery of government services should be made simple and with a specified period. If failed to deliver, the ministry should be penalized. In this technological era, the government should take maximum advantage of information technology to increase the efficiency of services.
Improve Judiciary
The number of courts must be increased and the corruption cases should be solved in a stipulated period of time. No need for advocates for officers as they can defend themselves in the court. There should be integration and augmentation of all anticorruption equipment of states and center.
Encourage Information Sharing
The media houses must also highlight excellent performance by the respective ministries. Media should suffer massive consequences for defaming and misreporting about any public servant. One should be rewarded for finding the loophole in a particular ministry to boost the morale of the employees.