Corruption Essay
Corruption is defined as the unethical conduct pursued by an individual confided with an authority or position. It can be seen everywhere today starting from the mixing of water in milk done by the milkmen to the bribe given by us to the government officials to get our work done. Also, it adversely affects the working of the economy and leads to stagnation. It starts from us and we are the ones who can weed out the cancer of corruption from our nation.
In 2015, India was ranked 76th out of 175 countries in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index as compared to the neighbouring countries like Bhutan (30th), Nepal (126th), Bangladesh (145th), Sri Lanka (85th), etc. Many surveys have also been conducted in order to swot up the level of corruption in India. One survey says that more than 62 percent of Indians were found to have firsthand experience of paying bribes or influence peddling (use of power or influence to get the work done) to get jobs in public sector.
Corruption has spread its wings to other sectors of the economy as well. Public sector no more remains the only quintessence of it. Educational to health to NGOs. corporate to political sector, corruption squats everywhere. It breeds in almost every section of the society. It is the outcome of various disconcerting factors like bribery, tax invasion, red tapism, nepotism, monopolistic rule, etc. In 2011, a report prepared by KPMG noted that the key reasons for the prevalence of corruption in India are excessive regulation on bureaucracy and high tax bars.
The famous CWG Scam, 2G scam, Bofors scam, Abhishek Verma arms deals scam and Satyam scam are examples of the most prominent scandals that have stained the walls of Indian bureaucracy. There is an incessant list that accounts for a loss of more than billions of rupees caused by these scams to the nation.
Political corruption is subject to policy makers, bureaucrats and administrators of the nation. It occurs when they involve themselves in illegal practices like taking bribes and rewards for personal benefit at the expense of the nation as a whole.
Corporate corruption crops up as a means to benefit oneself at the expense of shareholders, used by corporate houses. It usually occurs in the relationships between the corporate houses and the suppliers or dealers.
Petty corruption deals with the involvement of payment of relatively small amounts of money to aid transactions like customs clearance or issuing of licences, etc.
Today, unscrupulous practices even prevail in the educational and health sector in the form of donations and bribery to the doctors, etc. Corruption in the health sector could mean the difference between the life and death of an individual whereas, the same in education sector would mean playing with the growth and developmental aspects of the economy.
Corruption destabilizes the economic development, political stability and government authenticity. It jeopardises the allocation of resources to the crucial sectors of the economy. The funds siphoned to many of the sectors don’t reach the needy; they are consumed by the ministers and other government officials and transferred to their Swiss bank accounts. Also, it worsens the image of the nation in the international market.
Thus, it is now the responsibility of the citizens of the nation to carry out just and fair practices and cover up the loopholes in the administration and execution of laws if any. The government has also taken due measures in order to root out corruption from the nation. It has initiated various regulatory bodies and schemes to keep a check on the corruption statistics in India. Notable examples are the Right to Information act, Juvenile act, free and fair trails due to the enunciation of Fast track courts, PPP (Public Private Partnerships), e- ration cards, e-passports, etc Media is yet another prominent element that has helped in decreasing the level of corruption by bringing out the naked truth behind corrupt individuals and organisations.
Therefore, we as citizens of the nation must take an oath to root out corruption from our nation and lead to better tomorrow as it starts from us and we are ones who can curb it. Reduction in the level of corruption will not only lead to a better administration system, a developed economy but all together a better world to live in.
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