Corruption is not a political jargon in India; it is a very old problem that has saturated the politics and development and even ordinary life. Despite the fact that India has already demonstrated the remarkable outcomes in the fields of digital infrastructure, space research, and international relations, the shadow of corruption continues to pull the nation behind.
Then why, what are the consequences and what can be done about one of the most irritating problems of India?
1. What is Corruption?
Corruption is the abuse of power to gain selfish interest. In India it has other forms:
Office corruption of the government
Nepotism appointments
Stealing of state funds
Election-related misconduct
Favoritism resulted in slow justice
It can occur at all the levels: beginning with the small scale corruption in local offices and finishing with the large scale scam in which politicians, bureaucrats and companies are involved.
2. The Rationale behind Corruption being so Rampant in India.
Complex Bureaucracy
India has a bureaucratic system that is stratified and sluggish, and this is a chance to pursue rents and manipulation.
💸 Low Accountability
The lack of harsh punishment and the delay in the court provides a lot of corrupt individuals with an opportunity to evade the punishment.
Ignorance
Many of them are not well aware of the rights of the citizens and how they can demand justice or the delivery of the government services without extra payments.
Social Acceptance
Most of the time corruption is a norm of how things are done; to secure an employment, a contract or even an admission to school.
Political Funding
Open political donations and costly elections make political leaders to misuse their offices when they are elected.
3. The Cost of Corruption
Corruption in India is both an open and a secretive matter:
Economic Loss
It is a common occurrence where the development money that was intended to be used in the projects is siphoned. Some of the outcomes are delays in infrastructure, shoddy construction and excessively high expenses.
Weak Institutions
Institutions lose credibility when corruption becomes the order of the day. There are trust deficits in law enforcement, judiciary and even healthcare systems.
Unfairness and discrimination
The poor are disproportionately impacted by corruption since they might not be able to afford to bribe an official or afford to sue. It increases socio-economic segregation.
World Image
Foreign investment and partnerships can be discouraged by scandals and low ratings on international corruption index.
4. The Most Important Scandals That Shook the Nation
There are some high profile cases of corruption that have been witnessed in India which include:
Scam 2G Spectrum
Common wealth Games Scam
Coal gate (Coal Allocation Scam)
Vyapam Scam (MP)
These incidences created a national outcry and fueled the need to have sharper anti-corruption.
5. Measures against Corruption
India has been on the course of fighting corruption particularly in the recent years:
RTI Act (Right to Information)
Enhanced citizens to insist on accountability in the government departments.
Acts of Lokpal and Lokayukta
Established institutions to look into national and state corruption.
✅ e-Governance (Digital Governance)
Tax filing, bill payments and subsidy systems online, have cut the middlemen and made it very transparent.
Demonetization (2016)
One of the stated purposes was to attack black money and unaccounted wealth though this was controversial.
6. So What Further Can Be Done?
Judicial reforms to warrant quick track courts on corruption cases
Transparency in politics, particularly, financing and nomination
Whistleblower statutes to protect wrongdoing reporters
Sensitization of the population towards the development of the culture of honesty and anti-corruption
Blockchain and AI to keep tamper-proof records and detect frauds
Conclusion: The Future is in the Awareness and Action
The Indian corruption cannot be defeated, however, to combat it, it is necessary to employ both bottom-up and top-down approaches. The statutes are not sufficient, it is the culture that should change the culture in which transparency is an advantage, honesty is respected, and serving the people is a duty, rather than a privilege.
Provided that India wants to become a real global leader, there is no choice other than to address corruption.
