Corruption has taken root in government offices
Today the menace of corruption is the most talked about issue in India which comes in the field of public debate very often. Corruption is such a poison that has sat in the mind of some people of the country, community, society and family. In this, the resources of the common people are wasted only for a small desire and unfair advantage. Misusing his power and position by someone, whether it is a government or a non-government organization. Corruption increases the cost of production which ultimately has to be borne by the consumer. Due to this poor material is also used in projects like roads and bridges. Many such cases come to the fore, in which many people die due to the collapse of the bridge. Corruption hinders the ease of doing business. As the recently released Global Competitiveness Index indicated “the private sector still finds corruption to be the most problematic factor for doing business in India”. It hinders private investment, which creates jobs. Corruption has taken root in every government office. The surprising thing is that the government employees consider it their right to take bribe. Due to this system poor people find it difficult to get government work done. In the matter of corruption, the mentality of the citizens is also not serious, corrupt system has been considered as an essential part. Middle class people are ready to pay bribe all the time to get their work done. More than 80% of the workforce in India is in the informal sector and therefore not covered by tax or labor laws. Such enterprises usually bribe officials to evade laws where compliance is costly and complex. According to a recent survey by Transparency International, India is the most corrupt country in Asia. The list released by Forbes names the five most corrupt countries in Asia. According to its report, India has also left behind Vietnam, Pakistan and Myanmar in the matter of bribery. Similarly, the state of Rajasthan has got the top place among other corrupt states of the country. 78 per cent of the people in the state said that they had to pay bribe to get their work done.
Corruption literally means conduct that is unethical and unfair in any way. When a person goes against the accepted rules of the judicial system and starts behaving wrongly to fulfill his selfishness, then that person is called corrupt. The causes of corruption include selfishness, economic disparity, dissatisfaction, nepotism and loss of moral values. Some of the other reasons are red-tapism, government’s economic policies, shortage of essential commodities, globalization-liberalization laws, rise in consumerist culture and increasing level of election expenditure. Corruption refers to dishonest or fraudulent behavior by individuals in positions of power or authority, such as government officials, politicians, business leaders, or law enforcement officials. Bribery, embezzlement, nepotism, abuse of power and fraud are forms of corruption. According to a 2017 survey study, the following factors are attributed as the causes of corruption: Greed for money, desires, high level of market, political monopoly, low level of democracy, weak citizen participation and low political transparency. Increased corruption reduces economic investment, creating inefficiencies by increasing the cost of doing business. Similarly increases inequalities in income. By reducing these key economic factors, poverty has been exacerbated. The standard of public works is poor and many times these works remain only on paper. Qualified and loyal people do not get proper opportunities. The natural rights of poor people to live are adversely affected.
The richest 1% in India have about 60% of the total wealth. At high income level it leads to crony capitalism, at low income level it forces people to bribe officials even to meet their basic needs. With the economic reforms undertaken after the 1991 balance of payments crisis, the private sector has become a major player in a market previously monopolized by the state. This has given rise to an unholy nexus between politicians and businessmen. Corruption has not only become a ubiquitous aspect of Indian politics, but has also become a significant factor in Indian elections. The increased spending in elections is seen as an investment by candidates, who then abuse their power to launder illegal money. The assets of some MPs have also seen a jump of over 1000% between consecutive elections. Black money is openly used in the elections of the country. A huge amount of money is also spent in the election of panch sarpanch of villages and councilors of cities. Money spent on elections is seen as an investment. Whose manifold recovery is done after the victory in the election.
According to Transparency International (TI), India ranks very high (85 out of 180 countries) in the Asian region. According to TI survey, state services especially courts, police, revenue department and hospitals are the most corrupt bodies in India. A study conducted by Transparency International in 2005 recorded that over 62% of Indians had bribed a public official to get a job at some point or the other. As per the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) report, 171 corruption cases involving 633 government employees in various departments are pending for sanction for prosecution by the end of 2021 in the country. Of these, the maximum number of 65 cases are from the Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance, comprising 325 officers. Similarly, 12 cases against 67 employees belong to the Central Excise and Customs Department. In addition, 30 officials of the Ministry of Railways and 19 officials of the Ministry of Defense are facing probe in corruption cases. According to official information shared by Minister of State Dr Jitendra Singh in the Rajya Sabha recently, 2,370 cases related to corruption and bribery were registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against 3,730 civil and public servants between 2017 and 2021 . Country. 632 cases against 1142 civil and public servants in 2017, 460 cases against 867 in 2018, 396 cases against 607 in 2019, 425 cases against 565 civil servants in 2020 and 457 cases against 549 civil or public servants in 2021 were done.
Recently, a Supreme Court bench said, ‘The disease of corruption has spread to every walk of life. Now it is not limited to governance. It is a matter of regret that now even common citizens have started saying out of desperation that this is the reality of their lives. Responsible citizens have also started believing that corruption has become their way of life. He said that in order to fulfill the dream that the makers of our constitution had dreamed, the ideals which were essential are continuously declining and the erosion of moral norms in the society is increasing at a fast pace. The Supreme Court said that this is a matter of serious concern for the entire society. The bench said, ‘There is no need for much debate and discussion to find the roots of corruption. Among the seven sins mentioned in Sanatan Dharma, one ‘greed’ is in full swing. In fact, the insatiable greed for wealth has spread corruption like cancer. It further said that ‘if the corrupt people succeed in circumventing the legal agencies, then the fear of being punished for the sin will also end. The corrupt believe that the rules and regulations are not for them, they are for the simple people. For them, getting caught is no less than a sin.
