India is considered as one of the most corrupt countries in the developing world. The post- independent India saw the gradual increase in corruption and decline in moral standards. The former prime-minister of India Mrs. Indira Gandhi justified corruption by saying it is a global phenomena. Now it is accepted by all economists that corruption became institutionalised during Mrs.Indira Gandhi's rule. There may be a few more corrupt countries than India either in Africa or in Asia. But India considers itself a technological and economic behemoth. Such a country cannot take pride in rampant corruption that prevails all over the country and in all spheres of life.
The average citizen of India cannot really afford the luxury of corruption. Whether one is a villager or an urbanite, no one can escape from the clutches of corruption. From conception to cremation, one's life is embroiled in corruption. A pregnant mother will not get adequate medical care if she cannot bribe the government doctor in the primary health centre. After the birth of the child the nurse demands huge sums of money especially from the father of a male child to show the baby. The father has to bribe the government clerk to obtain a birth certificate for the child. A good school education in India is prohibitively expensive. There is plenty of corruption in government schools, colleges and universities. In some universities one can buy a first class degree certificate for a price.
The traffic on Indian roads can at best be described as chaotic. Most of the drivers buy their driving license over the counter by bribing the road transport officers. How can one expect these drivers to be aware of traffic rules and regulations.
Then the average citizen wants to acquire a ration card and it is impossible to obtain without greasing the palms of the petty government officials. If the citizen decides to acquire a plot of land through any of the government agencies it will take decades and several thousands of rupees as bribe. The registration of the site is another expensive complex procedure. Of course, one's house plan will not be approved without payment of parallel and unofficial fees. Obtaining electricity and water connection involves additional bribes. Finally the house owner has to obtain a completion certificate and annual house tax, the fixation of which is usually done after sufficient number of officials are bribed.
Most of the city roads and highways are in a bad condition and they are full of pot-holes. Millions of vehicles ply on these bad roads and vehicular break downs are quite common. The vehicle owners are forced to spend thousands of crores of rupees on the upkeep of vehicles. The bad roads are a direct reflection of the degree of corruption that plagues the society. Even if a road is laid, it will not last even six months. Hence this wide spread corruption has not spared any one. If the hapless citizen has to go to a police station in connection with some theft, loss of vehicle, road accident, petty quarrel or passport verification, he will not be allowed to come out without paying a bribe. Nowadays, the police officers unabashedly accept bribes in front of the public.
If an average citizen gets involved in a court litigation, he would go through hell of an experience. He must be able to afford a good counsel's exorbitant fees, but also he should be prepared for a long expensive legal battle, which involves bribing of court officials. According to the former Chief Justice of Supreme court at least 50% of the judiciary is corrupt. In India, income tax officials are prohibited from prosecuting Judges and religious heads. No one can question them about the source of their wealth. Now, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wants to bring about a legislation in the parliament to check corruption in Judiciary. Perhaps it is too little coming too late.
How can an average honest citizen survive in this shark infested ocean? Obviously, he gets sick and dies young. His life will be one of woe and sorrow. No one can be happy in such a society. The Right to Information Act gives very little consolation. A large number of talented young men and women emigrate to western countries to escape from this sordid corruption. The politicians, bureaucrats, bank officials, policemen and judicial officers possess neither conscience nor a sense of shame. All of them believe in the proverb, "Make hay while the sun shines". They also subscribe to the philosophy of grab and run culture. How can we ever even compare ourselves to such second world countries as Russia and China. India's image on the international stage is an image of rag tag nation with dishonest politicians. Only a proper value-based education and a pride in one's own country can bring about a change. No one utters the word "Patriotism" even by mistake anymore.
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