Corruption: dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, typically involving bribery.
The popular definition of corruption is defined as a dishonest conduct by a person in power involving bribery. The person in power, typically gives another person / organization some undue favor in lieu of monetary or non-monetary benefits. In all the cases of corruption, it has two sides. One is the person who gives the favor and other is the person who takes the undue favor. Corruption cannot be prevalent if either of the parties does not cooperate. India traditionally is known to be a corrupt nation. India ranks 85 out of 180 countries in the Transparency Internationals corruption index in its latest release. Corruption is not limited to monetary loss of any particular being, but it has variety of implications in political, economic, social, environmental, national security. Corruptions among political leaders of the government reduces the trust public has on the government, public institutions and the electoral process. This seriously dents the prospect of an independent democracy. Economic implications of corruptions include reluctance of investors to invest in development of the country and even if they invest it is done at a higher cost which again reduces the affordability of the project. All these implications directly impact the GDP of the nation which affects the quality of life a person can afford, and a government can provide. If corruption has so much implication, do we have a system to prevent it? Yes, Government of India has prepared legal framework for fighting corruption. Various acts like Prevention of Corruption Act, Prevention of Money laundering Act, Companies Act, Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, Lokpal and Lokayukta Act have provisions to prevent and penalize corrupt practices. Further with GOI’s recent initiatives like linking Aadhar to Bank Accounts, Direct Benefit Transfer and Digital Payment have greatly helped in reducing corrupt practices.
But are these initiatives sufficient for a developed nation? Is it the sole responsibility of the government to reduce and prevent corruption? No, it is not. Corruption and its prevention are responsibility of all citizens. We have to pledge to not participate in corrupt practices ourselves even if this brings us uncomfortable situations to face. As stated, earlier corruption survives if both sides cooperate. When one side doesn’t then corrupt practices won’t survive. This is where a common citizen has the power to bring a major change. But for the growth of the nation, this is not sufficient. We not only have to stop corruption which involves financial exchanges but, for continued development of a nation as a whole generation after generations, we need to avoid corruption of moral and ethical values among citizens. With time, the definition of morals and ethics changes but some of the values, like honesty, integrity, and probity are timeless treasures. These are the things which is the foundation of any relationship, including the relationship with yourself. We need to be honest with ourselves and always do the right things irrespective of the circumstances were are in or whether we are being watched / supervised or not. When moral compass is good and we ourselves are the sternest inspector of our actions, then only our characters will be strong. Moreover, we need to cultivate these values among us as well as inculcate these in our children, which will make a lasting impact and pave the way for a developed nation. For a developed nation, let us pledge to be good citizens and be proud of our strong moral values and characters.
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(This essay was my entry to internal essay competition on the title, which won the 2nd prize)
