How to Tackle Corruption in India We often blame government, politicians and other people but hardly take any responsibility to improve ourselves. We talk about the corruption, unethical behaviors, crimes, etc. , but hardly take any action to promote honesty, integrity, ethics or to eliminate corruption. Corruption in India The most shocking part of the widespread corruption in India is the fact that it is not anymore within the parameters of how TI defines corruption, it is no longer limited to politicians or the public servants, it has become very common amongst almost every section of the society at every level.
It is not only prevalent amongst rich who are greedy in spite of possessing enough but also prevalent amongst poor. The fact is that large number of Indians are now involved in corrupt practices in one way or the other, either due to greed or due to so called compulsion. People have gone even to the extent of adulteration of food-stuff such as milk, ghee, spices and also lifesaving medicines. International Perspective on India
On the international stage, India is considered a nuclear power and one of the fast growing countries in the world. Despite of the very high level corruption, the world’s economists consider India as Emerging power in the world. The US government is talking about India’s world power status (http://www. cato. org/pubs/pas/pa-381es. html). The Forbes magazine lists 53 Indian billionaires in the world. India has also become the biggest exporter in the world of software services and software workers.
The Indians are contributing to American and Global progress; a few facts are: 12% of scientists in the US are Indians 38% of doctors(physicians, dentists, PhDs, etc) in America are Indians; 36% of NASA scientists are Indians; 34% of Microsoft employees are Indians; 28% of IBM employees are Indians; 17% of INTEL scientists are Indians(German Magazine). In the world competitiveness scoreboard, which is the assessment of several factors, e. g. Government system, Business efficiency, infrastructure, etc. , it is dragging only at 31st position.
Though India boasts of a high economic growth, it is shameful that there is still large scale poverty in India. It has the world’s largest number of poor people living in a single country. The recent study confirms that India has more poor people than in 26 African Countries. (VOA news). One of the main reasons of this poverty is ‘CURRUPTION’. A recent news on IBNLive ‘Corrupt Indians siphoned out $125 bn in 8 years’, more than $125 billion worth of funds meant for the uplift of Indians were illegally siphoned out of the country by corrupt politicians and corporate sectors, between 2000 and 2008.
Last year there was shocking news in Indian media reporting on trillions of dollar black money Indians have in Swiss bank. Almost every day we hear about many scandals and corruption cases in several government and corporate sectors in India. Consequences of Corruption Corruption is found to be one of the most damaging consequences of poor governance and poverty, classified by lack of efficiency, transparency and accountability. Corruption diminishes investment and suppresses economic growth and development and also reduces the effectiveness of public administration.
It diverts the public resources towards corrupt politicians and officials and away from the needy and poor people. So, corruption can be considered anti-poor and anti-development. How to eliminate corruption in India Many people think that only government has responsibility for eliminating corruption and we often blames the government; however in view of the level of corruption and the existing framework that we have in India, it is very clear that government alone cannot stop corruption.
If we, the people of India and civil society institutions remain unconcerned and hopeless in fighting against corruption then it can never be eliminated or even can’t be reduced. Thus, it is the responsibility and duty of every Indian to fight against corruption and take some actions to promote honesty and integrity and contribute in the motion of ‘Honesty’ in India. We need to promote excellency and teach our young generation the actual meaning of success.
No matter what your position is, what your age is, whether you are a government employee or working in a private sector, a student, a retired person or even a housewife, each and every individual has the ability to contribute in eliminating corruption in India and push government, civil society and policy makers to implement more measures at each level. . Furthermore, fighting corruption requires more than government policy, laws, tools and legal system; it requires awareness of our social responsibility, moral values, excellence in our daily work, etc.
We need role models, campaigns, debates, and many different approaches to educate our people, to inspire our young generations, to change the mindset of corrupt people and to tackle with every cause. Moreover it need willingness, commitment and active participation of media, civic associations, voluntary groups, teachers, students, social workers, etc. So don’t sit back; every one of us needs to come forward and take actions. If you are not affected today you will be affected tomorrow.
In addition to the ongoing initiatives such as Citizens’ Charters, RTI Act, social audit, e-governance, lokayukta, etc. , which needs some improvement and harmonized approach across all states, the followings are a few other good initiatives which could help to tackle corruption and every cause: The media can interview general public, government officers, etc. , if they know about Citizens Charters. Our teachers can also play a major role in teaching moral values & integrity to our young generation.
To bring the awareness and educating the young generation in upholding the honesty, they can also organize debates, discussions and plays in school to encourage the new generation to be an honest citizen. If not you, then who? If not now, then when? ” Join the ‘Indian Honesty Movement’ group on Yahoo to build a network of the honest people in India like you to share your thoughts and ideas. If you like this article, forward this to all your Indian friends to create more awareness.
