corruption

It is said that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Capital as such is not evil; it is its wrong use that is evil Prevent Corruption or Expose- Embarrass- Punish the Corrupt Issues regarding corruption in India have become increasingly prominent in recent years.
Poverty in India: Current Situation Poverty is one of the main issues, attracting the attention of sociologists and economists. It indicates a condition in which a person fails to maintain a living standard adequate for a comfortable lifestyle. Though India boasts of a high economic growth, it is shameful that there is still large scale poverty in India. Poverty in India can be defined as a situation when a certain section of people are unable to fulfill their basic needs. India has the world's largest number of poor people living in a single country. Out of its total population of more than 1 billion, 350 to 400 million people are living below the poverty line. Nearly 75% of the poor people are in rural areas, most of them are daily wagers, landless laborers and self employed house holders. There are a number of reasons for poverty in India. Poverty in India can be classified into two categories namely rural poverty and urban poverty.

Top 10 Corruption Scams in India 1) 2G Spectrum Scam 2) Commonwealth Games Scam 3) Telgi Scam 4) Satyam Scam 5) Bofors Scam 6) The Fodder Scam 7) The Hawala Scandal 8) IPL Scam 9) Harshad Mehta & Ketan Parekh Stock Market Scam
Reasons for Rural Poverty Some of the basic reasons of rural poverty in India are:

Unequal distribution of income. High population growth. Illiteracy. Large families. Caste system.

Problems Of Rural Poverty

Presence of malnutrition, illiteracy, diseases and long term health problems.

Unhygienic living conditions, lack of proper housing, high infant mortality rate, injustice to women and social illtreatment of certain sections of society.

Steps Taken by Government to Reduce Rural Poverty The government of India has been trying its best to remove poverty. Some of the measures which the government has taken to remove rural poverty are:

Small farmers development Programme. Drought area development Programme. Minimum needs Programme. National rural employment Programme. Assurance on employment. Causes for Urban Poverty.

Causes for Urban Poverty The causes of urban poverty in India are:

Improper training Slow job growth. Failure of PDS system

Problems Of Urban Poverty

Restricted access to employment opportunities and income. Lack of proper housing facilities Unhygienic environments No social security schemes Lack of opportunity to quality health and educational services.

The steps taken by government to remove urban poverty are:

Nehru Rozgar Yojna. Prime Minister Rozgar Yojna. Urban Basic services for the poor Programme. National social Assistance Programme.

Key Highlights of the Corruption Survey:

Over 2/3rd of the survey respondents perceive that India can touch 9% GDP growth if corruption is controlled. Otherwise, it would result in volatile political and economic environment.

Impact of corruption on Indias GDP growth

Half of those surveyed felt that India corruption may hit the investment sentiment and render India less attractive destination for foreign investment. Respondents to the extent of whopping 90% felt that corruption would also translate into increased stock market volatility and prevent institutional investors from making long-term commitments. 99% of respondents opined that the biggest impact of corruption on business is its tendency to skew level playing field and attract organizations with lesser capability to execute projects. This could create inefficiencies in the system and hence increase the cost of operations.

Impact of corruption on business

Now, take this! Well, its a no shocker, but certainly a bit surprising. Almost 68% people attribute corruption to be induced by the private sector; even as wide majority of us put the blame on the government enterprises.

India has seen stupendous growth in mergers and acquisitions. But, here could be a small hump in the tale. Nearly 37% of respondents felt that corruption could impact the valuation of a company thereby denying shareholders a fair price. Needless to say, real-estate industry has remained as the most corrupt industry, as told by 32% respondents, which is highest quantification going industry-wise.

Perception of most corrupt industries

So, any take on which industry is most corrupted after real-estate? Well, no points for guessing, its telecommunications sector especially, after recent 2G spectrum allocation scam, 17% of those surveyed felt this sector is fraught with corruption issues. Most significantly, when it comes to anti-corruption measures, a majority 84% of those surveyed opined that Indian government failed to effectively enforce anti-bribery and corruption laws.

How will corruption scenario in India change in the next 2 years?

Interestingly, when asked as to how will corruption scenario in India change in the next 2 years 46% felt that corruption is here to stay in the system, while 15% opined that corruption shall continue to thrive and increase irrespective of the legislation.

Poverty is still rampant in India. There are 22.15% people living under the poverty line in India according to a 2004-2005 survey by NSSO. The estimate was based on monthly consumption of goods, daily wages, self employment and landless laborers. However Economic growth and positive commercial developments have served to reduce poverty substantially over the years in India. The main causes of Poverty in India are its high population growth rate, agrarian form of economy, primitive agricultural practices, illiteracy, ignorance, unemployment, underemployment, caste based politics, urban rural divide, social iniquity and discrimination. One third of the Indian population has emerged from the squalor of poverty in recent years inspite of the above factors. The issue of urban poverty in India can be best expressed with the term pseudo urbanization. Pseudo urbanization is a state when a city is unable to contain its populace in terms of providing livelihood, housing and infrastructure. This is mainly due to the vast and continuous immigration of the rural poor into urban areas. Immigration creates a shortage of resources in the cities. Urban poverty in India and other third world countries has resulted in the formation of large slums and shanty towns. Indian government has launched various plans to eradicate poverty in India since 1950. For the problem of poverty in India, solutions have been found with some success in recent times. A very good example of this is the civic drive to make the poor self sufficient for the three basic requirements of food, clothing and shelter. The most successful part of the scheme has been food rationing, which has made food available to the poor at controlled prices. Crusades like national employment program and food for work initiatives have done much to harness the

unemployed as productive beings. Another anti poverty program in recent times, which has won much acclaim, is the rural landless employment guarantee program. This was drafted in 1983 to target the rural poor for employment and economic rehabilitation. However India will have to work hard for a long time for complete eradication of poverty.