Corruption in India H.S. Sandhu

A World Leader India is ranked 85 out of a 179 countries in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index Its score has improved consistently from 2.7 in 2002 to 3.4 in 2008.

Roots of Corruption The economy of India was under socialist - -inspired policies for an entire generation from the 1950s until the 1980s. The economy was shackled by extensive regulation, protectionism, and public ownership, leading to pervasive corruption and slow growth Licence Raj was often at the core of corruption.

The Vohra Report The Vohra Report was submitted by the former Indian Union Home Secretary, N.N. Vohra in October It studied the problem of the criminalization 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 parties, and the protection of government functionaries.

The Vohra Report It revealed that political leaders had become the leaders of gangs. The were connected to the military! Over the years criminals had been elected to local bodies, State Assemblies and Parliament. The unpublished annexures to the Vohra Report were believed to contain highly explosive material!

Corruption in Politics In July 2008 Washington Times 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 $5 billion in bribes. Officials often steal state property. In Bihar, more than 80% of the subsidized food aid to poor is stolen.

Bureaucracy In cities and villages throughout India, Mafia Raj consisting of municipal and other government officials, elected politicians, judicial officers, real estate developers and law enforcement officials, acquire, develop and sell land in illegal ways. Many state-funded construction activities in India, such as road building, are dominated by construction mafias, which are groupings of corrupt public works officials, materials suppliers, politicians and construction contractors.

Bureaucracy Shoddy construction and material substitution (e.g. mixing sand in cement while submitting expenses for cement) result in roads and highways being dangerous, and sometimes simply washed away when India's heavy monsoon season arrives. In Government Hospitals, corruption is associated with non availability of medicines, getting admission, consultations with doctors and availing diagnostic services.

2005 Estimates of Corruption (in crores of Rs.) Schools (Up to 12th)4137 Police (Crime/Traffic)3899 Land Administration3126 Judiciary2630 Electricity (Consumers)2169 Govt. Hospitals2017 RFI (Farmers)1543 Municipal Services550 Income Tax (Individual Assesses)496 PDS (Ration card/supplies)358 Water Supply143 Total21068

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. The main reason for police violence is a lack of accountability of the police.

Religious Institutions Some members of the Church are making money by selling Baptism certificates. A group of church leaders and activists has launched a campaign to combat the corruption within churches. Among Indian Muslims, the 2006 "cash for fatwas scandal" was a major affair that exposed the Imams of the Islamic ulama accepting bribes for issuing random, often nonsensical fatwas.

Effects of Corruption The chief economic consequences of corruption are the –loss to the exchequer, –an unhealthy climate for investment and –an increase in the cost of government-subsidised services. The TI India study estimates the monetary value of petty corruption in 11 basic services provided by the government, like education, healthcare, judiciary, police, etc., to be around Rs.21,068 crores. (Cost of Bhakra Nangal Dam construction = 245 crores) India still ranks in the bottom quartile of developing nations in terms of the ease of doing business, and compared to China and other lower developed Asian nations, the average time taken to secure the clearances for a startup or to invoke bankruptcy is much greater.

Apathy amongst Indians Why are we not outraged enough about the state of corruption in India. Election cycle after election cycle, we keep electing Parkash Singh “ji” Badal or “Raja” Captain Amarinder “ji” Singh to public offices. Every day we tolerate huge hoardings on our roads giving us “vadhayiaan” on Vasakhi etc. by politicians with last names like “goldi’, “pamma”, “bittu” etc.

Apathy We continue to have useless debates in our roadside tea stalls wondering what would have happened had Partap Singh Kairon remained chief minister or who is better Badal or Amarinder Singh. Let me summarize the answer the answer to all these queries- nothing. They were all corrupt and useless.

Apathy Wise asses amongst us are quick to point that even the west is corrupt. Recently the governor of Illinois was fired from his job and banned for life from holding public office for merely talking about getting political mileage for the seat left vacant by President Obama. Enough said about the comparison then.

Time for Action I propose that the people of India set up citizens forums in their towns to highlight and uproot this rampant problem. As Kabir said, “Karta tha to kyun raha, ab kahe pachtaye, Bove per babol ka aam kahan se khaye”- We need to sow the seeds of the future of our country. Hold your elected and public officials accountable for their jobs.