Corruption-free India for a Developed Nation

Pakhi Gupta

"At the stroke of the midnight hour when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom ... And so we have to labour and to work, and work hard, to give reality to our dreams. Those dreams are for India, but they are also for the world." 75 years ago, on the midnight of 15 August 1947, these words by the then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru marked the beginning of a new era for India, an era to regain the title of "golden bird," an era of new hopes and dreams, an era where history began anew for us. In these past years, India has become the cradle of innovation and ideas with one of the youngest populations in the world; this unique demographic advantage presents a plethora of opportunities in today's world. However, India faces a huge obstacle on its road to success: corruption.

Corruption refers to the act of misuse and abuse of power, especially by those in the government, for personal gains, either pecuniary or a favour.
India ranks 85th place out of 180 on the Corruption Perceptions Index, a scale where the lowest-ranked countries are perceived to have the most honest public sector.
Corruption rots the country from within, from petty bribes taken by police officers to multi-million dollar scams at high political levels; the threat of corruption is pervasive in India. From people living in slums to the people occupying the highest stratum of the justice system, corruption touches every human being. Corruption taints the moral and social fabric of the country and hinders the progress of India; it creates distrust between the citizens and the government and exploits people's basic human rights by taking away transparency and broadening the economic gap between the rich and poor.

Corruption drains innovation and hampers the ease of doing business, moving us further away from development. The more widespread such practices are, the more inefficient the economy becomes. Corruption in the defence deals in the past has led to delays in the modernization of the armed forces threatening national security. When bribes must be paid to obtain a building permit, get a decent education, or for fair justice, the citizens lose trust in leaders, in social systems, and sometimes even in society and ethics itself. A nation takes one step forward but two steps back. If corruption exists in a country, it is development's greatest enemy.

Although initiatives like privatisation and e-governance have made positive growth toward a corruption-free nation, we still have a long way to go; there is a need for massive reforms in each and every section of the system to fight this menace. There is a need for a reduction in hierarchy levels in the government with the conduction of periodic sensitivity training. There is a dire need for transparency and performance evaluation through policies like the Lokpal Bill to regain public trust; there is a need for judicial reforms to expedite trials against corrupt officials so that these laws remain a strong deterrent. There have to be continuous checks and balances in the system. India and its citizens have immense potential to soar through the greatest skies of success; eliminating the disease that is corruption would ensure steady development, creating an atmosphere where generations can serve the country with pride and honour.

By: Pakhi Gupta