Can India Ever be Free of Corruption?
‘Trial Opens in Indian Telecoms Case’
‘Graft Scandal Hits Indian Opposition’
Are these the newspaper headlines we have gotten so accustomed to reading? Whenever I come across such news, I wonder whether India will ever be free of corruption. Is corruption so deep-seated that it cannot be erased? Is corruption built into the basic functioning of the government? Has corruption become a part of our psyche?
Don’t get me wrong. India is moving towards better governance and will seek direction from more promising leaders. Numerous initiatives have been taken to free the country from the chains of corruption. The ‘India Against Corruption’ movement is a sign of this. But are social activists like Anna Hazare really working in the interest of the people? Is it really a movement to free India or a technique to gain power? I ponder on these thoughts and hardly ever find a satisfactory answer.
However, whether or not the folks who are currently in power are willing to fight corruption, one thing is clear- The youth today is no longer willing to sit back and take it. If you’d been to Jantar Mantar or India Gate during the ‘India Against Corruption’ movement, you’d know what I mean. People want their grievances heard and social media is playing a huge role in this.
However, one Jan Lokpal Bill will not change things. All it needs is one corrupt politician to find millions of loopholes in the bill. To deal with corruption, India needs to:
• Go down to the grass-root level.
• Limit the role of the government.
This first, is important because the lack of education and vocational training gives rise to the lack of awareness and dissatisfaction. But what is most critical is to limit the role of the government. Regulating industry and enterprise is not governance. Ensuring law and order is. If government approval is required for the private sector handles, it will give rise to positions of power, which forms the basis of corruption. Power corrupts and absolute power does corrupt absolutely.
If government can withhold or licence, tax you extortionately, refuse you permission to expand, then rest assured corruption will result. Leave alone a businessman, an ordinary person too will pay a bribe if that is the only way to get the government official to stop obstructing him.
Get government out of people’s hair and you will reduce corruption drastically, that would be the first step. After we have got corruption down to manageable levels, we can discuss eliminating it.
Rakesh Wadhwa. Ever since, I was a school boy, I knew India was on the wrong path. Socialism was just not what we needed to get ahead. Government controlled our travel; government controlled our ability to buy and sell; and government controlled our freedom to move our money. My life has focused on the inherent rights people have. When I was in college, I never understood, what the governments meant by their "socialistic attitude". If people are free to buy, sell and move their capital themselves without any restrictions by state, then the welfare of people is inevitable & hence the countries they live in will become wealthy. The government has no right whatsoever, to point a finger at me or my business. I am not a revolutionary. I just want to light up my cigarette and not get nagged about it. I believe in non-interfering attitude to attain more. 
The Bastiat Award is a journalism award, given annually by the International Policy Network, London. Bastiat Prize entries are judged on intellectual content, the persuasiveness of the language used and the type of publication in which they appear. Rakesh Wadhwa won the 3rd prize (a cash award of $1,000 and a candlestick), in 2006.
22 Comments
Piyush
December 27, 2011The next leg of the India against corruption movement is starting lets see how it all ends
Hemant
December 28, 2011I absolutely agree wid u
photography course
January 4, 2012Great post however I was wondering if you could write a litte more on this topic? I’d be very grateful if you could elaborate a little bit further. Cheers!
Rahul
January 9, 2012Your solution of a very limited government to do away with corruption once and for all is the perfect answer to this problem which has recently come to the fore front. The real problem is how to educate the people on the virtues of limited government.
I love you for your outstanding work and deep commitment to the cause of freedom.
Swopna
February 13, 2012whoa, this is a very good weutrip. I once stumbled on a topic similar to this before, this is pretty great material.
Baw
February 13, 2012congress is tiynrg each and every possible way to break anna fast..but the fools r failed always
sonam
April 21, 2012i think the illiterate and criminal background people should not be given the eletion ticket…….and we also should not vote such candidates………hey people think twice before voting…..
aditya puroht
September 13, 2012how can India get corruption free by taking off governments hand from our head?it should be like that we should take off corrupt people to the backyards of jail
admin
October 5, 2012Aditya, thanks for reading my posts and responding to it. No, a country cannot exist without a government. However, the role of the government needs to be limited. Not very long ago, Indian businessmen needed licenses to operate. The license was given by the government. This led to increased bribery. The moment this kind of license was eliminated, bribery went down because no one needed to give a bribe to become a businessmen. Unnecessary power to the government will always result in corruption. Of course, the government is needed… to maintain order and ensure a progressive environment, but that is what its role should be limited to.
vijeta kumari
November 1, 2012I completely agree with u sir. I am a student and really moved by your thoughts
Dipendra Thakur
November 21, 2012Wonderful.
Sai lakshman
May 31, 2013I was just wondering also when India will be recovering its former splendor and if one day we will get free from corruption?
The problem is not only the government or the folks who are ruling India. It is also in each Indian as it comes from the basis. Politicians are one wheel of the corruption.
The problem is that it is rooted deeply in most of the Indians and to remove it ,it will be very tough… We should not forget that we are the land of avatars and rishis and yogis who have always lead bharat in the right path. I am confident because there was always exceptional leaders who rised for the best of India. They will guide us. However; we should also do our best to listen our inner god so that we will reflect dharma and nothing else.
Raj
December 14, 2013What ” former splendor” are you talking about ?
Siddhartha Bandyopadhyay
July 22, 2013If we really desire a healthy/responsive society, decent political atmosphere, have to put genuine commitment at our own end – as you know most of the communities (such as Bengali or Tamils) in this sub-continent are clutched by ‘Culture of Poverty’ (hopelessness), irrespective of class or economic strata, lives in pavement or apartment. Nobody is seriously ashamed of the deep-rooted corruption in this society, decaying general quality of life, worst Politico-Governance, poor work place, weak mother language, continuous consumption of common Social Space. We love to become parents only by self-procreation, mindlessly & blindfold(supported by lame excuses) depriving their(the children) fundamental rights of a caring, corrigible society, fearless & dignified living. Do not ever look for other positive alternative gesture/values to perform human way of parenthood, i.e. deliberately stop giving birth to any child him/herself here till it improves up to the mark, co-parenting children those are born out of extreme poverty, instead. All of us are driven only by the very animal instinct. If we desire genuine freedom from vicious cycle of poverty, rotten capitalism need to involve ourselves in ‘Production of Space'(Henri Lefebvre) movement, one big passion with the society to overcome our inherent ‘hopeless’ mindset, decent & fair Politics would certainly come up. – SB, 16/4, Girish Banerjee Lane, Howrah -711 101, WB.
shashibala
September 15, 2013eradicate corruption sounds next to impossible as it is running in our blood. We can not live without it as we can’t live without water or air.First thing is the nexus between politicians and bureaucracy and can not be distinguished. From grass root level to top level majority of the bureaucrats are corrupt in one way or other. Why this happened? Greed, power which they enjoy, remains jealous for other.Then they think, YES, I wanted to be there. He goes for UPSC and involved in the main stream of corruption. Why they do so? every where they are privileged persons as were Englishmen. They are elite class. All the facilities are for them t the cost of Govt. exchequer, which is taxpayers money. Many of times it has shown how the bureaucracy waste that money, anything happened to them? nothing and that is the power of chair.How to break? First of all scrap the UPSC exams for direct recruit. Make it mandatory to start from the grass root level and by passing departmental exams get promotions.What will happen then? First they will know the ground reality and would be able to administer in better way, no division within themselves such as direct and promotes as happens now a days. from the very first day they are asking huge easy money. See any department. No preferential treatments for anybody whoever he may be. No protocols for any govt. servants or any one else except the head of the country and make it mandatory, deviation should be dealt with high hand. Why chamchagiri at all level so they can get good lucrative postings. Earmark such postings and post only hghlt creditable officers on those postings without any prefrencial treatment. Make their salary lucrative but if any one is caught indulge in malpractices he should not be spared at any cost. Posting on seniority basis at all levels in govt. deptt. It looks like a dream but every body have a right to see it. What is wrong if I am optimistic.
Ragavan.M
September 19, 2013very nice.
Veeraragavan.M
September 19, 2013Really i agree with u sir.then thank u to this information to my GD
Veeraragavan.M
September 19, 2013Really i agree with u sir.then thank u for this information to my GD
subhalaxmi
December 27, 2013really this article is wonderful and i am agree wish you…..
Dipak
February 9, 2014Corruption in India exist from long ago when no other countries existed on world map. Chanakya has mentioned corruption in his writings as well and corruption still exists. I seriously doubt that corruption will ever be rid of in India. As long as government exist, so will corruption at some level at least.
We need to inseminate the people’s mind who practice the bribery to completely stop such practice. As long as givers are present, takers will gladly receive it.
mansi dayarakoti
October 17, 2014india will become a corruption free country when our government pass the lokpal bill……
ankit
December 29, 2015when we change our thinking….. then only India been change…