Rooting out corruption
Apparently,
corruption has become an accepted norm here. Officials take bribe because it is given to them and people give bribe because officials accept them
There is little doubt that if the prevalence of corruption in the country can be even somewhat minimised, it would be easier for it to achieve the full-fledged middle income status within the time framework of governments Vision 21. Corruption is one of the serious ills for which standard of life is also not improving as it acts against efforts to bring even distribution of wealth in society. On the occasion of the International Anti-corruption Day 2015 two days ago, various groups and organisations brought out processions and formed human chains around the country campaigning against corruption.
While efforts like this has some value, but unless hard steps are taken, corruption is not going to move from the government offices and elsewhere. The present Anti-Corruption Commission still remains virtually a toothless tiger, though it has power only in papers. This body could hardly been able to bring in the past people in the dock who are politically powerful.
Even when corruption is rife in bureaucracy, the power of the ACC has been curtailed by a law that makes it mandatory to take government permission to move against a government official. A step like this only encourages people to indulge in corruption more. As long as this pampering defence is given by the state for the corrupt people, necessity of rooting out corruption will remain as a byword only.
There is also the prime need to create an atmosphere of reward and punishment in the government offices so that service holders are inspired for better performance, feel discouraged for poor performance and are afraid of corruption. The law enforcing agencies in our country are notorious for their dishonesty: there are grave examples in which they acted as personal hit man or extorting money openly from the public, not just taking bribe in the offices. While purging the corrupt members in the law enforcing agencies is an urgent need, they can practically be engaged in eliminating sleaze if they are awarded some percentage of money, in customs service for example, as reward.
The high prevalence of corruption in our society is an unmistakable indicator that the countrys standard is very low, morally speaking. It is as if corruption has become an accepted norm here. Officials take bribe because it is given to them and people give bribe because officials accept them. It has become such an easy relation. Unless a total moral regeneration is effected in our society, corruption in our society cannot be minimised. The burden for this regeneration primarily lies with political and social leaders.
