Can Corruption be Eradicated from Our Society?

Corruption is an unethical act performed by a person or a group of people using (where individuals or groups misuse ) their power or authority to acquire personal benefits. 

It is a serious social issue which adversely (that negatively) affects the economy of a nation ( a nation's economy). Corruption obstructs the development ( hinders the progress) of an individual and country. It spreads like poison in society, leading to inequalities and injustice in the society and community.

Forms of Corruption

Corruption is not just about taking or giving bribes. It exists in various forms:

• Conventional Corruption:  occurs when government officials, whether of higher or lower ranks, misuse their power to gain personal benefits while ignoring public interest.

• Unconventional Corruption: Elected officials make biased decisions that do not serve public interest, even if no money is exchanged. This includes theft, misappropriation, and breach of trust.

• Political Corruption:  It involves politicians preferring certain companies and industries over others. Here, companies and organisations shape and influence legislation or government policies.

• Public vs. Private Corruption: Corruption is also distinguished by its public or private nature. Public corruption involves public (government) officials whereas private officials are involved in private corruption. Public corruption involves misappropriation of (misusing) public funds whereas private corruption involves corruption in the private sector that hurts (harms) citizens' interests.

• Systemic Corruption: exists when corruption is deeply rooted in society, becoming a routine part of interactions between the government and private businesses. In contrast, individual corruption happens occasionally and involves isolated acts.

Causes of Corruption:

The causes of corruption are many and complex. Some of them are

Several factors contribute to corruption:

• The rise of political leaders who prioritize personal interests over national welfare. The emergence of political elite (leaders) who believe in interest-oriented rather than nation-oriented programmes and policies are responsible for the increasing corruption in politics.

• The absence of strong public forums to oppose corruption allows it to reign over people.

• Large populations, combined with illiteracy and poor economic infrastructure (conditions), leading to widespread corruption.

• Low salaries for government officials in struggling economies, pushing them toward corrupt practices.

• Complex laws and procedures discourage people from seeking government help, leading to corrupt shortcuts.

• Complicated laws and procedures that make it hard for ordinary people to seek government help, encouraging bribery.

• Bribery by politicians to gain votes and by businesses to influence decisions.

• A decline in moral and ethical values promotes corrupt behavior. The feeling of attaining the things by any means whether wrong and right has encouraged most of the generation to adopt the means of corruption.

Impact of Corruption

Corruption can impact a society's development in various ways as listed below 

Corruption affects society in multiple (several) ways:

• Political Costs: It weakens trust in political institutions, reduces public participation, and undermines the legitimacy of governments. (This leads to reduced political participation which further questions the legitimacy of political systems.)

• Economic Costs: Corruption reduces economic efficiency by misallocation of resources. This leads to reduced investments and genuine business competition.  It also undermines the ease of doing business and brings in a risk of economic collapse. 

• Social Costs: Corruption distorts values, divides society, and weakens civil society, hindering (obstructing) development. 

• National Security Risks: Corruption can threaten national security by enabling the recruitment of unqualified individuals, weapon smuggling, terrorism, and money laundering.

Presence of Corruption in Indian History (Corruption in Indian History)

Corruption is an ancient  social malady (problem). Corruption has existed in society for centuries. Ancient texts like the Atharva Veda warn against it(warns people to refrain from corruption), and Kautilya’s Arthashastra details corrupt practices used to embezzle government funds.

Historical rulers, such as Alauddin Khilji, increased salaries to prevent corruption among officials. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, in his book 'The Discovery of India', has written about (mentioned) widespread corruption during British rule in India.

In the primitive period, the scope of public administration was minimal and as a result, the scope of corruption was also limited. After independence, corruption expanded with the growth of public administration. Leaders like C. Rajagopalachari called the PWD (Public Works Department) as the first enemy of the country in terms of corruption. Nowadays, every department has become a 'Public Works Department.

Corruption has become (became) a key issue in political speeches, and today, it affects every sector.

Eradication of Corruption (Eradicating Corruption)

With the understanding of what corruption is we need to think about 'can the corruption be eradicated? Eradication of corruption is only possible if people understand and start to believe the value of ethics and morality in their life.  

To eradicate corruption from our society, foolproof (strict) laws should be made (are needed) so that there is no room for discretion of politicians and bureaucrats.

The role of the politicians should be minimised implementation (Application) of the evolved policies should be left in the hands of independent commission or authority in each area of public interest. Decisions of the commission or authority should be challengeable only in the courts.

(Policy implementation should be handled by independent commissions, with decisions only challengeable in courts.)

One of the common causes which enables corruption is that many officials demand bribes to speed up processes, which is commonly known as speed money. To remove this in the administrative procedure, Public Services Guarantee Act (2010) in Madhya Pradesh and Right to Services Act (2011) in Bihar has been passed. These laws set deadlines (reasonable time limit) for different government services, reducing bribery opportunities.

(Laws like the Public Services Guarantee Act in Madhya Pradesh and the Right to Services Act in Bihar aim to reduce corruption by setting time limits for government services. )

All other State Governments should also formulate similar acts so that no government servant gets the scope to extract speed money. Cooperation of the people needs to be obtained for successful eradication of corruption. People should have a right to recall the elected representatives if they are not working as expected.

Electoral reforms are crucial to eradicate political corruption. Measures like state-funded elections, regular audits of political parties, and barring criminals from contesting elections should be implemented.

More and more courts should be opened to ensure speedy and inexpensive justice so that cases don't linger in courts for years.

Government Efforts to Combat Corruption (Measures to Control Corruption)

The government has taken (introduced) several steps  (measures) to combat corruption, including:

The Indian government has introduced several measures, including:

Many systematic efforts are being made by the government in current times to combat corruption like Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988; Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002; The Black Money and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015 for foreign black money, Income Declaration Scheme, 2016 for unearthing domestic black money, Benami Transaction Bill, etc.

The Central Government has set up the following four departments as anti-corruption measures Administrative Vigilance Division (AVD) in the Department of Personnel and Training, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Domestic Vigilance Units in the Ministries/Departments/Public Undertakings Nationalised Banks and Central Vigilance Commission. 

The government has also appointed the first Lokpal of India, Pinaki Chandra Ghose in March, 2019. The Lokpal (anti-corruption authority) will inquire into allegations of corruption against public functionaries. Such decisions are providing a new life to anti-corruption efforts in India.

Conclusion

While completely eradicating corruption may seem challenging, it is not impossible.  The fight against corruption requires a multi-dimensional approach involving robust legal frameworks, effective enforcement mechanisms, transparency, accountability, and most importantly, a collective commitment from citizens, leaders and institutions. (public commitment.)

Digital governance initiatives like Digital India can reduce corruption by minimizing human intervention.

 Though the path to a corruption-free society is challenging, every effort made in the right direction brings us closer to a better future.