Corruption is the severest bane on the society committed to the 'Rule of Law'. It has the potential of destroying the fundamentals of democratic values. Corruption has crept in every limb of our nation's state eating into its vitals like a termite.
Today, in our country greed and corruption allow huge amounts of money to fall into the hands of just a few people & we are so used to corruption at every level that we may no longer be shocked by it, nor do we always emphasize that it is sinful.
The CBI director Ashwani Kumar blames the "weak" criminal justice system for encouraging corrupt practices. He says "The weak criminal justice system of our country encourages corruption. Departmental trials of corruption cases go on for years and these delays encourage the dishonest to indulge in corrupt practices with impunity," (at the 17th Biennial Conference of CBI and State Anti Corruption Bureaux.)
India is ranked 57 in 2007 corruption rankings for 179 countries along with China, Peru, Mexico and Brazil with Finland, Denmark and New Zealand ranked at No 1 (least corrupt) and Myanmar at 149 (most corrupt). In India, we face corruption at almost all governmental offices, quasi governmental agencies and even public sector companies.
Few important statistics about Corruption in India.
India regularly joins China and Russia at the top of the global bribery index
Ordinary people pay bribes worth £2.5 billion a year for public services
Bihar is the most corrupt state, Kerala the least.
Civil servants are poorly paid and open to temptation. Police are the most corrupt, followed by lower courts and land administration
Traffic police pay to be posted at junctions that are fertile ground for kickbacks
Every bag of cement that goes into Indian roads has involved a bribe
(Sources: Transparency International, Times research).
Our Country is now being neglected across the world due to its pervasive corruption. It should be stopped, prevented and everyone has to fight against it. Particularly the youth will have to take command of the crusade against corruption to salvage the country.
Starting from the ward councilor, Ministers & Govt Officials are corrupted. Public money has become a free gift. Nobody bothers to correct or get it corrected. People are ready to pay the money what is demanded to get the job done.
We do admit corruption at the lower level, police constables, clerks in all Govt offices all such last and the least tail enders are also corrupt. One should know that Corruption flows from top to bottom not bottom to top.
It is impossible to implement discipline without an effective system. First we should understand that Corruption is a two way process. Both the giver and taker are to be punished equally. But unfortunately in our society only those who are taking bribe is punished and the other man is let off.
The Officers or the Superiors who are sitting in the higher positions should correct the lower level staff to avoid bribery. Unless and until the top hierarchical order is ready to weed of corruption from the root level no one can stop corruption in the near future.
I hope that our Union Law Minister Mr. Veerappa Moily enacts some law which is very much similar to the ones in China. "Hang the corrupt". To make India a leading nation of this century, such austere steps are urgently required to at least think of weeding out corruption.
Finally everyone has a role to fight against corruption. Not only Governments, but also parliamentarians, entrepreneurs, civil society, the media and the common citizen. Corruption hurts us all, therefore fighting it is a shared responsibility.
Each 'No' to corruption counts. People often think that corruption is "just a way of life," but every society, sector and individual would benefit from saying "No" to this crime.
Corruption is worse than prostitution. The latter might endanger the morals of an individual; the former invariably endangers the morals of the entire country. (Karl Kraus)
