Short Speech on Corruption in India

Corruption in India is one of the most menacing threats that our economy has been battling with ever since the independence. At all levels of Indian bureaucracy corruption has seemingly taken its toll and has been corroding the structure of our nation. Be it private sector or public sector, Indian people have a tendency of misusing the public position/power in their favor to fulfill their motives and gain personal benefits. All these “allegations” are not solely based on observation but have statistical data to back with. In 2005, a study was conducted by Transparency International that revealed that more than 62% of Indians have had at least one experience of paying bribes. In 2008 this figure fell down to 40% which is still significant. A recent unofficial data published by The Hindu estimated that Indians had over $1456 billion in Swiss banks When evaluating the causes responsible for corruption the number seems to be infinite.

However the main reason is lack of implementation of the rules and laws. It seems as if the ones employed to stop corruption have become a part of corruption itself. Another prominent reason for corruption is lack of transparency in bureaucracy and governmental processes. But being a literate Indian citizen, I strongly believe that to fight this adversary, the first blood must be drawn by general public. If there are no individuals that pay bribe then the structure automatically resurrects again. The implementation of laws should be stricter. And increased transparency (e.g. RTI) must be brought into action. Unless the general public becomes vigilant, corruption can’t be unplugged from our nation.

EXTRA :
There are numerous stringent laws like Indian Penal Code, 1860, The Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, Prevention of money Laundering Act etc. that have been framed to stop corruption but their implementation is missing.Corruption in India is a major issue that adversely affects its economy.[1] A study conducted by Transparency International in year 2005 found that more than 62% of Indians had firsthand experience of paying bribes or influence peddling to get jobs done in public offices successfully.[2][3] In its study conducted in year 2008, Transparency International reports about 40% of Indians had firsthand experience of paying bribes or using a contact to get a job done in public office.[4] Especially the government controlled institutions tend to keep the working principles and functioning under the carpet. The welfare programs that aware started to help the poor strata of society contribute significantly to the corruption. The older the economy becomes the more challenging becomes its maintenance.

India stands among one of the most corrupt nations in the word. In 2012 India has ranked 94th out of 176 countries in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, tied with Benin, Colombia, Djibouti, Greece, Moldova, Mongolia, and Senegal.[5] Most of the largest sources of corruption in India are entitlement programmes and social spending schemes enacted by the Indian government. Examples include Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and National Rural Health Mission.[6][7] Other daily sources of corruption include India’s trucking industry which is forced to pay billions in bribes annually to numerous regulatory and police stops on its interstate highways.[8] Indian media has widely published allegations of corrupt Indian citizens stashing trillions of dollars in Swiss banks. Swiss authorities, however, deny these allegations.[9][10] The causes of corruption in India include excessive regulations, complicated taxes and licensing systems, numerous government departments each with opaque bureaucracy and discretionary powers, monopoly by government controlled institutions on certain goods and services delivery, and the lack of transparent laws and processes.[11][12] There are significant variations in level of corruption as well as in state government efforts to reduce corruption across India.

Consequences:
The consequences of corruption are grim. The whole system falls apart if the structure of government is struck by the storm of corruption. The efficiency of governmental and private institutions decreases tremendously due to corruption. The ones who are not so rich and are unable to bribe officials don’t get their work done on time and their files collect dust in the offices. The growth of nation cripples when corrupt officials operate at powerful positions. It is estimated that if corruption is stopped the annual growth rate would increase by 4-5%.