Amit Gupta
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world”
…………Mahatma Gandhi
Any vibrant and developed society of the world has essentially evolved through an effective anti-corruption crusade against the corrupt practices in various institutions and effectively curbed the human tendencies whereby individuals were lured in becoming corrupt. India ranks 76 out of 168 countries as per the latest report of Transparency International for the year 2015. Denmark stands 1st with CPI scores of 91 as against score of 38 by India. The researchers found a correlation between a higher CPI and higher long-term economic growth, as well as an increase in GDP growth of 1.7% for every unit increase in a country’s CPI score.
But one ponders, why there is so much hue and cry when corruption seems institutionalized in our systems and individuals; but there seems to be a rationale behind anti-corruption campaigns initiated by the Government and other NGOs as corruption adversely affects the people – unfair and harms those without power; results in a loss of values and morality; results in financial loss; results in loss of trust in government, justice and public services; results in illegal activities, encourages organized crime; creates an inefficient society; creates fear and insecurity and many other such problems which infringes the fundamental rights available to all citizens of this country as enshrined in our constitution. Corruption can broadly be divided in two levels – Grand corruption at higher levels of government, large companies and NGOs etc, and involves mismanagement of large amounts of money and petty corruption involving small incidences of corruption, often on a local level.
This type of corruption affects the poor most directly. An example of corruption at the local level is the need to pay bribes to public servants/local officials. Corruption can be of various types- bribery wherein money or services offered illegally to get something in return; nepotism wherein favoritism granted to family, relatives or friends; facilitation payments by asking for money for legally free services; collusion having secret agreements by at least two parties for illegal gain; embezzlement by misuse of someone else’s money and abuse of power etc. How can a common man knows that someone is corrupt? Some common indicators include- a lifestyle that is not in line with income; deliberately working alone, or always with the same colleague; repetitive secretive phone calls while on duty; lots of incorrect or missing invoices, cash tickets etc; irritability, suspiciousness or defensiveness; control issues, unwillingness to share duties; unusually close association with vendor/customer; addiction problems etc. It has been observed that there are possible loopholes at the management level in an organization that leads to opening of window for corruption and corrupt practices by the employees which needs to be plugged and a more time bound, transparent and positive approach can minimize the menace of corruption.
Some of the grey areas include- poor and unclear policies /procedures/ financial administration; complicated legal structure; lack of transparency in various sub-systems; lack of accountability of employees indulging in corrupt practices; delay in disposal of matters pertaining to public/contractors; poor performance appraisals systems of employees and lack of welfare measures coupled with poor working environment for the employees etc. It is also felt that a person need to do something corrupt due to various pressures which include- financial problems; pending medical bills; need for more security; need for status and desire to have more luxuries; not being paid enough to meet ones needs and various social obligations.
Honesty is always the best policy and individuals can become tools of anti-corruption compaigns by being honest, using the power for officially authorized and justified purposes only, be trustworthy, be transparent, abide by the law: respect the rules, regulations, statutes and laws and be accountable. Organization can also become honest if they ensure proper code of conduct, set of rules to prevent corruption, procedural internal monitoring and evaluation, reporting guidelines and routines, have a safe procedure in place to report corruption, sanctions for those who act corruptly, clear policies & procedures at various management levels and in public interface.
General public can also contribute a lot and become active members of any active anti corruption campaign by refusing to pay/accept a bribe, ask for receipts, contact superior officers, discuss with colleagues, take pictures/ videos, write down name and number, report corruption to anti-corruption wings of the Government, utilize social media, print and electronic media, become a zero hero campaigner etc.
Make sure you are not to be a part of the problem, make a private pledge! I pledge to… be a responsible and honest citizen; neither pay nor take bribes; obey the law and encourage others around me to obey the law and to treat resources respectfully; neither abuse any money entrusted to my care, nor any position I hold; act with integrity in all my dealings; always remember that public resources are intended for the benefit of the public, not for private gain; strive to prevent discrimination and exploitation of human beings; abstain from all forms of corruption and be the change I want others to be.
Corruption can only be eradicated from our society, if we as individuals feel it as an evil and then take a personal pledge not to be a part of any sort of corrupt practices neither in our personal lives nor in our official dealings and teach the same to our elders and children also, then this menace can be controlled and we can lead towards a corruption free society where everyone can get his/her due.
(The author is presently posted as SSP Vigilance Poonch-Rajouri-Kathua Wing in Vigilance Organization)
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