India Against Corruption Essay

According to the Oxford Dictionary, corruption is dishonesty and illegal behavior by people in positions of authority or power. India was ranked 94th out of 176 countries in Transparency International’s, Corruption Perception Index, 2012 on 5th December, 2012. Most of us may have had, at some point or the other in our life, a firsthand experience of offering bribes, using our contacts or influencing people to get work done in government offices or to get jobs in the public sector. Therefore, corruption is not a new term for anyone. As far as handling or trying to stall corruption in India is concerned, one needs to get to the root cause of corruption, and then try to cut the roots in order to handle the whole entity. Another way of curbing corruption is to limit the role of the government in various fields. The causes of corruption in India include excessive regulations, improper tax structure, complicated licensing systems, lack of transparency in the laws, monopoly by some of the government institutions, discretionary powers in the hands of government departments. In order to handle corruption, one needs to aim at removing these causes. Social activists like Anna Hazare have been working against corruption, but not much success has been achieved. But are these entities really working in the interest of the people is an issue that needs to be pondered upon. It has also been pointed that many prominent figures have had illegal money in the Swiss Banks; such things have been widely covered on the social media, but nevertheless have gone unheeded. Anti corruption laws, Anti corruption police and courts, Anti corruption organizations; all exist in India. These have been formed to bring corruption to a manageable level so that one can give a thought to eliminating corruption. According to some economists, corruption adversely affects the growth rate. It has devastating consequences on the economy. Therefore efforts must be taken to stall it. If there is less of red tape, bribery is eliminated, reduction in interference of government in the private sector is ensured, there is ethical bureaucracy and a proper tax structure and licensing system is ensured and most importantly stringent action against corrupt officials is taken; Corruption can be managed to a certain level. A mass movement though can also be the remedy, just like the one that Mahatma Gandhi led during independence. Since charity begins at home, we must try to check ourselves before we point fingers at others and therefore not indulge in any corrupt malpractices.