Corruption

PRESENTATIONCorruption In India,Reasons and RemediesJuhi Gupta,Kratika Wadhawan,Richa Baheti,Shruti Khandelwal.Prof. Manisha Singhai

CORRUPTION IN INDIA-REASONS AND REMEDIES…

INTRODUCTION TO THE CORRUPTED world..It is a no brainer that Corruption In India is at its rampant best. There is not one section of the society that is spared from it. Corruption in the form of bribery takes the cake and given that it begins at the grass root level makes it even more difficult to monitor and control…Political corruption in India is a major concern. A 2005 study done by Transparency International in India found that more than 75% of the people had firsthand experience of paying bribe or peddling influence to get any type of job done in a public office. For 2010, India was ranked 87th of 178 countries in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index, which is huge setback for India.

Overview of the index of perception of corruption, 2010

Criminalization of Indian politics is a major setback as well as a serious problem.In July 2008 The Washington Post reported that nearly a fourth of the 540 Indian Parliament members faced criminal charges, "including human trafficking, immigration rackets, embezzlement, rape and even murder".

An international watchdog conducted a study on the illicit flight of money from India, perhaps the first ever attempt at shedding light on a subject steeped in secrecy, concludes that India has been drained of $462 billion (over Rs 20 lakhcrore) between 1948 and 2008. The amount is nearly 40% of India's gross domestic product.

India tops the list for black money in the entire world with almost US$1456 billion in Swiss banks (USD 1.4 trillion approximately) in the form of black money.According to the data provided by the Swiss Banking Association Report (2006), India has more black money than the rest of the world combined.Indian Swiss bank account assets are worth 13 times the country’s national debt.HISTORY-The economy of India was under socialist-inspired policies for an entire generation from the 1950s until the late 1980s. The economy was subject to extensive regulation, protectionism, and public ownership, leading to pervasive corruption and slow growth. License Raj was often at the core of corruption.The Vohra Report was submitted by the former Indian Union Home Secretary, N.N. Vohra, in October 1993. It studied the problem of the criminalisation of politics and of the nexus among criminals, politicians and bureaucrats in India.

The report contained several observations made by official agencies on the criminal network which was virtually running a parallel government. It also discussed criminal gangs who enjoyed the patronage of politicians — of all political parties — and the protection of government functionaries. It revealed that political leaders had become the leaders of gangs. They were connected to the military. Over the years criminals had been elected to local bodies, State Assemblies, and even the Parliament. The unpublished annexures to the Vohra Report are believed to contain highly explosive material.

Political corruption…Criminalization of Indian politics is a major problem.In July 2008 The Washington Post reported that nearly a fourth of the 540 Indian Parliament members faced criminal charges, "including human trafficking, immigration rackets, embezzlement, rape and even murder". At state level, things are often worse. In Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections 2002, candidates with criminal records won the majority of seats.

Bureaucracy… A 2005 study done by Transparency International (TI) in India found that more than 50% of the people had firsthand experience of paying bribe or peddling influence to get a job done in a public office.Taxes and bribes are common between state borders; Transparency International estimates that truckers pay annually US$5 billion in bribes. A 2009 survey of the leading economies of Asia, revealed Indian bureaucracy to be not just least efficient out of Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam, China, Philippines and Indonesia; further it was also found that working with India's civil servants was a "slow and painful" process.

Land and propertyTendering processes and awarding contractsMedicinesDeath CertificatesPreferential award of public resources

Judiciary…Corruption is rampant in the judicial system of India. According to Transparency International, judicial corruption in India is attributable to factors such as "delays in the disposal of cases, shortage of judges and complex procedures, all of which are exacerbated by a preponderance of new laws".

Police…Despite State prohibitions against torture and custodial misconduct by the police, torture is widespread in police custody, which is a major reason behind deaths in custody. The police often torture innocent people until a 'confession' is obtained to save influential and wealthy offenders. G.P. Joshi, the programme coordinator of the Indian branch of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative in New Delhi comments that the main issue at hand concerning police violence is a lack of accountability of the police.

Armed forces… The Indian Armed Forces have frequently witnessed corruption involving senior armed forces officers from the Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force. Many officers have been caught for allegedly selling defence stores in the black market in the border districts of Indian states and territories. Recent sukhna land scandal involving four Indian Lieutenant Generals has shaken public faith in the country's growing military at a time when large sums are being spent on modernising the armed forces. . A string of eye-popping fraud cases has damaged the institution in recent years.The latest Adarsh land scam is another example of the nexus between the armed forces , bureaucracy and the politicians in the embezzlement of government property.

Indian defence Minister A.K. Antony has informed RajyaSabha that administrative action has been initiated against 41 Army officers for allegedly selling non-service pattern (NSP) weapons in the black market in the border districts of Rajasthan. As an interim measure, the officers have been asked to deposit their weapons back with Chairman Ordnance Depot (COD) Jabalpur. The image of the Indian Army has taken a beating in the recent past, due to increasing corruption in the armed forces. Recently, four top generals, which included the 33 Corps commander and the military secretary (MS) were found to be guilty in the preliminary findings of the Court of Inquiry (CoI) in a land scam near Sukna military base. Adding insult to the battered image of the Army, has been the open outburst of Lt Gen P.K. Rath�s brother against the army chief General Deepak Kapoor, wherein, he has said that the chief was well aware of the developments, which were taking place pertaining to the land.Lt. Gen. P.K. Rath

Religious institutions…In India, the corruption has also crept into religious institutions. Some of the Church of North India are making money by selling Baptism certificates. A group of church leaders and activists has launched a campaign to combat the corruption within churches.

Right to information act…The Right to Information Act (2005) and equivalent acts in the states, that require government officials to furnish information requested by citizens or face punitive action, computerization of services and various central and state government acts that established vigilance commissions have considerably reduced corruption or at least have opened up avenues to redress grievances. The 2006 report by Transparency International puts India at the 70th place and states that significant improvements were made by India in reducing corruption.

Ombudsmen…The LokAyukta is an anti-government corruption organization in the Indian states .These institutions are based on the Ombudsman in several countries. An amendment to the Constitution has been proposed to implement the Lokayukta uniformly across Indian States as a three-member body, headed by a retired Supreme Court judge or high court chief justice, and comprise of the state vigilance commissioner and a jurist or an eminent administrator as other members.

Whistleblowers…Whistleblowers play a major role in the fight against corruption. India currently does not have a law to protect whistleblowers, which was highlighted by the assassination of SatyendraDubey. Indian courts are regularly ordering probe in cases of murders or so-called suicide of several whistle blowers. One of the latest case of such murder is of V Sasindran Company Secretary of Palakkad based Malabar Cement Limited, a Government company in Kerala and his two minor children, Kerala High Court ordered CBI probe on 18th February 2011. However, CBI showed its unwillingness for probing into such cases citing over-burden as a reason.

Creation of Anti-Corruption Police and Courts…Some have called for the Central Government to create an anti-theft law enforcement agency that investigates and prosecutes corruption at all levels of government, including state and local level. Special courts that are more efficient than the traditional Indian courts with traveling judges and law enforcement agents are being proposed. The proposal has not yet been acted upon by the Indian government. Certain states such as Andhra Pradesh (Andhra Pradesh Anti-corruption Bureau) and Karnataka (Lokayukta) have similar agencies and courts.

Civil sector initiatives…Several new initiatives have come up in the civil sector to raise awareness about Corruption related issues and to build anti-corruption platforms. 5th Pillar is one such organization that is promoting the use of Zero Rupee Notes to fight corruption by shaming the officials who ask for bribe

Another popular initiative Jaago Re! One Billion Votes from Tata Tea has now changed its focus from voter registration to fighting corruption.

Corruption

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