Corruption

 What is corruption?

Corruption is dishonest behavior by those in positions of power. Those who abuse their power may be individuals or they may belong to organizations, such as businesses or governments. 

Corruption can entail a variety of actions, including giving or accepting bribes or inappropriate gifts, double-dealing, and defrauding investors. Corrupt behavior is often the result of government intervention in the economy but it can be prevented with certain checks and balances.

Understanding Corruption

Corruption is any behavior that leads to the benefit of an entity in power at the expense of others. As such, it's considered to be an abuse of power. Corruption occurs when someone in a position of power uses their authority to influence decisions or conducts any other dishonest or fraudulent behavior like giving or accepting bribes or inappropriate gifts, double-dealing, under-the-table transactions, manipulating elections, diverting funds, laundering money, and defrauding investors.

There are many situations in which someone can be considered corrupt. Keep in mind that corruption can involve any entity, whether that's an individual, company, or government.

Corruption in India

Corruption in public life is a means of obtaining personal benefit through illicit means and the abuse of public office and property. Private-sector corruption is all about making unjust profits by exploiting employees and consumers while skirting government regulations. Corruption exists in every sector and at every level of government in the country, large or little. People in the public and private sectors employ corrupt methods and unfair methods to complete a variety of large and minor tasks. This is because people desire to make a lot of money without putting in a lot of effort.

Despite the fact that India’s ranking in the Global Corruption Index 2018 has improved by three places, it still ranks 78th among other countries. India is still a long way from being a corruption-free country. Even throughout the British Empire’s reign, India was rife with corruption. Even Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the Muslim League leader who plotted to divide India by forming Pakistan on August 14, 1947, admitted that bribery and corruption were rampant during British rule in undivided India: “One of the biggest curses that India is suffering from—I am not saying that other countries are free of it, but I believe our situation is much worse—is bribery and corruption.” Corruption is a poisonous substance.” If Jinnah, who worked with the British to split India, says so, it clearly demonstrates the deep-rooted institutional corruption in British India, which the British authority firmly supports and practises to suit their selfish aims. Corruption is a poison that really has taken root in the human brain of those who place themselves above society, community, and even country in order to take advantage of ill-gotten profits. It is the mistreatment of public resources with the intention of obtaining unfair benefits in order to satisfy material goals. It is concerned with the inappropriate and needless use of authority and position by anyone in power, whether in government or non-government organisations. It has a negative impact on both individual and national growth, lowering both personal and national income. It is a major contributor to the current state of inequity in our society. It stifles a country’s social, economic, and political growth and progress on all fronts.

As per a research conducted by Transparency International in 2005, more than 62 percent of Indians have paid a bribe to a public official at some time in their lives. Another report from 2008 found that about half of Indians had first hand experience paying bribes or using contacts to get services from government agencies; however, the CPI (Corruption Perception Index) ranked the country 78th out of 180 countries in 2018, indicating a steady decline in public perception of corruption. India’s government and political parties are notorious for their corruption. Rather than engaging in corrupt practises, they should seek to alleviate the problem of corruption. They must set an example for citizens, inspiring them to work honestly and diligently to achieve their objectives rather than using dishonest methods. In India, anyone can enter politics and form a political party. The educational qualifications of a person are not a part of the eligibility criteria. Ministers have been appointed who have never attended school and have little knowledge of the Indian political system. There are also people who have been convicted of a crime. Corruption is unavoidable when such people are in charge of the government. For entry into public life in politics, a minimum educational qualification criterion must be established. Only candidates who meet the educational requirements and have a clean criminal record should be able to run for office. After winning the election, the candidates must be trained to handle the numerous roles and responsibilities that have been given to them. A well-educated and well-trained individual can undoubtedly lead the country more effectively than others. For everything, there must be a set policy, and the Ministers’ activities must be watched by a higher authorities must ensure that they are following it.

India's fight against corruption

While corruption remains endemic and deep-rooted, India’s anti-corruption measures remain half-hearted and slow. This is largely because the vital institutions raised to fight graft lack genuine autonomy and a serious sense of purpose. Even a handful of anti-corruption institutions (CVC, Lokpal) that enjoy some degree of autonomy, have not shown any signs of being independent. However, fighting entrenched corruption should not be left to these handful of macro or elite institutions alone. This is because, while corruption that happens at the top level often attracts media attention and the occasional national outrage, a great deal of corruption, which affects the ordinary person, is at the retail level. While the CVC handles these complaints involving Group C & D level officials, yet for all practical purposes, the CVC is a toothless body. The only visible progress that has come to reduce corruption at the lower levels is the growing digitisation of services. However, tech alone will not end the corruption phenomenon, which is like a hydra-headed monster.

In short, fighting corruption requires bold structural reforms and a comprehensive refinement of existing laws. In addition, there is a need to urgently repair India’s broken criminal justice system, which, in many ways, acts as the real mothership of corruption. Cases taking years and decades to be resolved, including big-ticket scandals, encourage impunity and reinforce corrupt behaviour. Similarly, it is widely known that most corruption or kickbacks are linked to opaque political funding (evident in the current practice of allowing opaque electoral bonds) in India. In short, without major improvement in campaign finance reforms—particularly transparency, disclosures and accountability—it would be impossible to cut the roots of grafts in key sectors of the economy and society. Thus, as India aims to emerge as a responsible   global actor, it is imperative for the political leadership to bring comprehensive political reforms including transparency in political funding, reform of justice delivery system, and maintaining the integrity of the RTI process to attack corruption from its roots.