The problem of corruption persists in all facets of Indian culture. India continues to struggle with the widespread danger of corruption, which impedes its social and economic progress, despite great efforts to address this issue. The nature and scope of corruption in India, its negative repercussions, and the steps being done to address this pervasive issue are all covered in this article.
What is Corruption?
Using a public position for personal gain is referred to as corruption. It is typically understood to be a form of improper favor given in exchange for immediate or long-term personal gain in order to perform official duties that are expected to be completed impartially and without charge. Its rank of India in the "Transparency International" corruption perception index, is 80/180 (a score of 41/100).
Corruption pervaded every sphere of governance and it can be broadly clubbed into 3 major categories.
1. Political corruption - Electoral fraud and opaque political finance
2. Collusive corruption - Corruption is committed through collusion between the public and the government.
3. Administrative corruption - Nepotism, ineffective and weak governance, red tape
The Corruption Wheel
The following things are made corruption and misuse of power worse in India:
- The colonial legacy of unchecked authority and an inclination to use power indiscriminately makes it simple to stray from moral behavior.
- Extreme power imbalances in the areas of the environment, social inequality, caste legacy, and the unorganized sector's 90% of the workforce
- Policies implemented after independence, such as State subsidies and beneficiary-focused initiatives, resulted in a power imbalance that turned public employees into patrons and civilians into beggars.
- Quality of politics – criminal-politician nexus
- Politicians secure votes through money, and muscle power & criminals enter politics to interfere in crime investigation, monetary gain creates “acceptance” for criminals to enter politics
Measures to Tackle and control corruption
Legal Framework for fighting corruption
Legislation
- Indian Penal Code, sections 161 to 165
- Prevention of Corruption Act 1988
- Whistleblowers protection act 2011
- Protect civil servants who speak against injustice and corruption.
- Benami Transactions Act 2019
- Fugitive Economic Offender Act 2019: To Tackle willful defaulters of more than 100 crores who are all escaping formal trials in India.
Institutional measures
- Serious Economic Offences- Serious fraud investigation office (SFIO) for major corporate defaults.
- Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946, And Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
- Central Vigilance Commission is the Apex body for tackling corruption.
- Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act 2013.
Tackling political corruption
Tackling political corruption is a very essential part to secure and sustain democracy.
1. Transparent electoral funding eg-Electoral bonds
2. Decriminalizing politics
a. Supreme court-mandated criminal records of election candidates need to be declared publicly.
b. assets and all personal details of the candidate also made available to the public
3. Free and Fair election at all three levels of central, state, and local bodies.
4. Under Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, Political executives also come under the jurisdiction if corruption charges are upheld.
5. As central and State governments, Local Bodies also need to come under expeditious monitoring by the appropriate authority.
Preventive Tools Empowering Citizens
1. Strengthening the grassroots contribution of citizen inputs in policy making eg-MYGOV platform.
2. Periodic citizen Feedback about governance and mechanism to improve efficiency. MO SARKAR scheme of Odisha-random calls the beneficiary number to get feedback on government services.
3. Social Audit needs to be mandatory like the MGNREGA scheme to all government service delivery. Meghalaya Legislation Social audit is mandatory for all government schemes.
4. In every government institution and website both digital and physical need to make a community interactive platform.
A specific think tank of multistakeholder society, like business, government, and not-for-profit groups in an open platform, is required to analyze corruption's potential and from prior experiences of numerous scams in order to eradicate it. Accepting and recognizing the roots is important for their efficient removal. The establishment of special courts will facilitate the process and serve as an effective deterrent. Increasing grassroots participation in governance and having zero tolerance for corruption make inclusive development a reality.
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