Corruption part of life in India
Second opinion: Madan Lall Manchanda
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has recently favoured the setting up of special courts to tackle the scourge of corruption, which he said was a challenge to the Government and the judiciary. Endorsing the idea, the Chief Justice of India has also stressed the need for quick disposal of cases registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Though any step to eradicate corruption is always welcome it remains to be seen how effective these steps are in practice.
The recently released Indian Corruption Study, conducted by Transparency International and The Centre for Media Studies, shows that the poor of India paid over Rs 833 crore as bribes in availing services, including health care, which constitutes 22 per cent of the total earnings of 56 lakh below poverty line households.
However, this is not something new as the seed of corruption was sown in our society long ago. After the partition in 1947, vast fertile areas of land in West Punjab went to Pakistan, as a result of which India experienced acute shortage of food and thereafter decided to build big dams to sort out the problem. Mighty rivers were tamed and the Green Revolution was conceptualised to boost India's agriculture. Gigantic steel plants were set up, as were several small-scale industries. Indigenous production grew by leaps and bounds. But the upswing in production and economic resurge also brought with it the spectre of corruption.
Time and again the World Bank has levelled allegations of rampant corruption in the implementation of various projects in India. A detailed implementation review launched by the World Bank in 2006 and supported by the Government of India has found significant evidences of this menace. Earlier in 2005, a World Bank investigation pointed to several instances of kickbacks to Government officials. Following these findings, the World Bank withheld funds worth US$ 2 billion meant for projects in the health sector.
India has become a cesspool of corruption. Some say that it is an international phenomenon and not peculiar to India alone. This may be true but nevertheless India, whose culture has always stood up for moral and ethical values, should strive to be a role model for the rest of the world. It should set an example and show the world that victory over corruption is possible.
Date: July 24, 2008 |
