Killing Corruption...

what I will do on my
part
Corruption, to me, is the immoral, unethical and illegal way out
people adopt to escape legal punishments, requirements and
formalities or simply jump the queue.

Killing corruption, seeing its large and deep presence everywhere,

is not possible at least for the next couple of decades. In a
country boasting a population of 1.2 billion, changing habits will
take time. Its true that corruption has become a habit. Bribing
the policeman for jumping signals, buying tickets in black and
the money paid to that government official at the passport office
or RTO to get the work done has become a routine or habit for
most common man, not only in urban but rural areas as well.
But this doesnt state that corruption shall stay, grow and
continue to infect every aspect which has remained immune to it
till now. Corruption is the cancer our economy has; it can never
be completely cured but can be treated, silenced and controlled
with necessary precaution.

Money has always had the supreme power and its possessor has
sadly been able to silence out all other voices, even those of
truth. The greed and need for money has often made man
ignorant of his morals and values. A man poor in time and rich in
money has found the escape from the complex legal requirements
and red tapism (excessive regulation or rigid conformity to formal
rules that is redundant or bureaucratic and hinders or prevents
action or decision-making) at the hands of corruption. It has
spread largely due to judicial and administrative inefficiency to
stop corruption and citizens who are willing to adopt this easy
and faster way of life instead of protesting against it. Too many
pending cases, few government offices as compared to the
requirement, lack of motivation in government officials to serve
better, inadequate awareness and opposition by the masses and
the delay in punishment for offences has let corruption engulf
our country and spread its roots deep and wide.

Men are more often bribed by their loyalties and ambitions than
money Robert H. Jackson

Corruption is everywhere: sports, politics, legal system, police,

government and even in homes. It starts right when the parent
says,If do you this we will give you..... It existed even in the
Mauryan Empire where the great scholar Kautilya mentions the
pressure of forty types of corruption in his contemporary society.
The Bofors payoff scandal of 1986 involved a total amount of Rs
1750 crore in purchase of guns from a Swedish firm for the Army.
The Cement scandal of 1982 involved the Chief Minister of
Maharashtra, the Sugar Scandal of 1994 involved a Union
Minister of State for food, the Urea Scam and of course no one
can forget Hawala Scandal of 1991, the Coffin-gate, fodder scam
in Bihar or the Stamp scandal which shocked not only the
political arena but the entire society, and there are so many
more. At one time, bribe was paid for getting wrong things done
but now bribe is paid for getting right things done at right time. It
is wrecking the fabric of our economy.

As the problem of corruption has magnified, so has the

availability of it cures. With development and presence of media
and social media, it has become possible to reach out to more
people. Barriers of language, distance and religion no longer
obstruct the transfer of ideas today. Awareness enhanced by
education has made the common man not only realise the
problems like corruption which adversely affect him and the
society but also enabled him to find solutions
Better administrative structure, stricter penal code, quicker
judicial proceedings, simplification of legal procedures, end of red
tapism, transparency in government expenditure at all stages and
auditing of accounts of government officials remain perquisites to
clean the stains of corruption on our country. Promoting bank
transactions of larger amounts compared to cash can also bring
in transparency and reduce black money in the system. But
these remain out of the direct accessibility of the common man.
Yet he is equipped with several methods to bring about the
change that is needed.

On my part, in this war against corruption, the first promise is to

adhere to the laws and abide by legal requirements. Secondly, to
not indulge or encourage any practice of corruption. This
including, but not limited to, watching mixed matches or allowing
people around to adopt corrupt means Thirdly, to report
instances of corruption to the appointed officials, thus being a
responsible citizen. And fourthly, to spread awareness about this
old and spreading diseases - corruption.

A strong opposition by the public against malpractices and any

wrong step of the government is essential to bring about a change
and to establish better governance. For this everyone must vote
and vote right. Not for a good party but for a good candidate. At
the end of the day, it is us who decide who gets the power to
govern our lives. The bribery at times of elections but various
parties is another corrupt step which has led to the rise of
corruption. My maid told me how some candidates distribute
cash, liquor, electronic equipments and other goodies to get votes.
She herself agreed to falling for these bribes. The poorer section
of our society must be made aware of this one- day illusion of
welfare that the corrupt candidates put up to mislead the
unaware and ruin the future of the country for the next five
years. They must realise that their onetime benefit is a lifelong
loss for the nation.

People must actively spread awareness and raise their voices

against corruption. The fight of a one man army cannot bring
down this centuries old monster. Social media and other forms of
media like news channels and newspapers are instrumental in
spreading awareness and ideas. Social media has proved its
influence in the protest in Egypt and Libya, though the idea there
was different. The tech savvy, aware and determined youth is the
biggest weapon that our country has. Also, legal awareness must
be stressed. The powers our constitution endows us with must be
efficiently and fully used.

Corruption has accentuated the inequalities of income and

wealth overtime. It has led to oppression of the poor and decrease
in the administrative efficiency. It has tarnished the image of our
country. But masses and not classes can battle out the problem
that we face.

In the words of Theodore H. White The flood of money that

gushes into politics today is a pollution of democracy.

Ayusha Kumbhat

11 D

Roll No.10