Growing tolerance for corruption
http://www.millenniumpost.in/NewsContent.aspx?NID=15460
11 December 2012, New Delhi, Sat Pal
Efforts at various levels to tame the corrupt are not yielding the desired results
The world has been observing the International anti-corruption day every year on 9 December. The United Nations (UN) adopted a resolution on 31 October 2003 to declare this day as the International Anti-Corruption Day as intolerance towards corruption had been growing for many decades.
There was a need to raise public awareness against corruption and determine ways and means to curb the menace with courage and conviction. Since, it was impossible to eliminate it completely, it was important to minimise it in order to present a cleaner picture.
Many countries are signatory to the UN convention against corruption. While going through the latest data released by the Transparency International, one may come to a definite conclusion that no country is perfect as far as 100 per cent clean functioning is concerned. Further 2/3rd of the countries in the world are listed below 50 per cent in the Corrupt Perception Index 2012 average score card. The first such international data was released in 1995. The countries have been rated on a scale between 0 and 100 wherein 0 means highly corrupt and 100 denotes the cleanest country.
The cleanest countries securing the first, second and third place in the index are Denmark, Finland and New Zealand respectively and the most corrupt country is Afghanistan ranking 174. With respect to the index of the clean countries, our position is 94 and our neighboring countries like Pakistan rank 139, Sri Lanka 79, China 80, Singapore 5, Nepal 139 and Bhutan 33.
The rank of other countries that matter are – Sweden (4), Switzerland (6), Japan and UK (17), USA (19), Portugal (33), Israel (39) and Russia (133). It is simple to opine that most of the countries are marred with corruption in one or the other form.
Coming back to home, our country witnessed a long mass movement spearheaded by the India Against Corruption Jan Andolan, blessed by the supreme crusader, Anna Hazare. The movement gathered momentum at the very outset but eventually fizzled out.
In backdrop of Jan Lokpal and the efforts made by the government to clean the system, the Centre for Media Studies has recently come out with its latest report on India Corruption Studies 2012, which states that the quantum of corruption in the country has become double during the last four years.
The increase, however, is not proportionate to the rate of inflation. On analysing the report one may agree to the fact that the greed for black money has been surpassing extreme limits of irregularities and connivance with the authorities to frequently nurture the grafts. The report is based on a household survey conducted during the last quarter of 2011 in nine cities – Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Goa, Hyderabad, Bengluru, Kanpur and Lucknow. The report concentrates on urban population especially urban slum population. During the last four years the percentage of corruption in the country went up from 34 to 68 per cent. It increased from 17 to 96 per cent in Mumbai and decreased from 41 to 23 per cent in Ahmedabad. The urban slum population was being forced to grease the palms of officers to obtain public services such as PDS, ration cards, new electricity connection, water supply, removal of garbage, OPD cards in government hospitals, registration of FIRs and deletion of names from the police records. The quantum of the bribe varied from Rs 5 to Rs 7,000. Eighty-four per cent urban slum population bribed in exchange of public utilities services, 47 per cent spared money only once and 31 per cent spared money twice during last four years.
Thirty-five per cent of the population was denied service as they denied being part of corruption.
It is a matter of great concern that more than 90 per cent urban slum population was asked to bribe at least once. In terms of slum population and the amount spared by them as bribes or in other words service charges, the state of Goa comes on the top followed by Mumbai. Goa is the best placed state by the 11th Finance Commission for its infrastructure. Further on top for the best quality of life in India by the National Commission for population based on 12 indicators. Its per capita income is the highest in the country.
Whether all these facts related to the prosperity contributed in making the slum population prone to offering bribes? The state is the smallest in the country as far as area is concerned and the 4th smallest by population. Its 62.17 per cent population is urban out of which 17 per cent is slum population. The 68 per cent slum population was extracted money for electricity, 62 per cent for water, 60 per cent for police service, 45 per cent for PDS, 42 per cent for municipal services and 35 per cent for health services.
This disseminates that the corruption is deeply rooted in slum population and tolerance against corruption is growing day by day across the country. Seemingly the efforts at various levels to tame the corrupt are not yielding the desired results.
Satpal is a communication consultant
11 December 2012, New Delhi, Sat Pal
Efforts at various levels to tame the corrupt are not yielding the desired results
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There was a need to raise public awareness against corruption and determine ways and means to curb the menace with courage and conviction. Since, it was impossible to eliminate it completely, it was important to minimise it in order to present a cleaner picture.
Many countries are signatory to the UN convention against corruption. While going through the latest data released by the Transparency International, one may come to a definite conclusion that no country is perfect as far as 100 per cent clean functioning is concerned. Further 2/3rd of the countries in the world are listed below 50 per cent in the Corrupt Perception Index 2012 average score card. The first such international data was released in 1995. The countries have been rated on a scale between 0 and 100 wherein 0 means highly corrupt and 100 denotes the cleanest country.
The cleanest countries securing the first, second and third place in the index are Denmark, Finland and New Zealand respectively and the most corrupt country is Afghanistan ranking 174. With respect to the index of the clean countries, our position is 94 and our neighboring countries like Pakistan rank 139, Sri Lanka 79, China 80, Singapore 5, Nepal 139 and Bhutan 33.
The rank of other countries that matter are – Sweden (4), Switzerland (6), Japan and UK (17), USA (19), Portugal (33), Israel (39) and Russia (133). It is simple to opine that most of the countries are marred with corruption in one or the other form.
Coming back to home, our country witnessed a long mass movement spearheaded by the India Against Corruption Jan Andolan, blessed by the supreme crusader, Anna Hazare. The movement gathered momentum at the very outset but eventually fizzled out.
In backdrop of Jan Lokpal and the efforts made by the government to clean the system, the Centre for Media Studies has recently come out with its latest report on India Corruption Studies 2012, which states that the quantum of corruption in the country has become double during the last four years.
The increase, however, is not proportionate to the rate of inflation. On analysing the report one may agree to the fact that the greed for black money has been surpassing extreme limits of irregularities and connivance with the authorities to frequently nurture the grafts. The report is based on a household survey conducted during the last quarter of 2011 in nine cities – Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Goa, Hyderabad, Bengluru, Kanpur and Lucknow. The report concentrates on urban population especially urban slum population. During the last four years the percentage of corruption in the country went up from 34 to 68 per cent. It increased from 17 to 96 per cent in Mumbai and decreased from 41 to 23 per cent in Ahmedabad. The urban slum population was being forced to grease the palms of officers to obtain public services such as PDS, ration cards, new electricity connection, water supply, removal of garbage, OPD cards in government hospitals, registration of FIRs and deletion of names from the police records. The quantum of the bribe varied from Rs 5 to Rs 7,000. Eighty-four per cent urban slum population bribed in exchange of public utilities services, 47 per cent spared money only once and 31 per cent spared money twice during last four years.
Thirty-five per cent of the population was denied service as they denied being part of corruption.
It is a matter of great concern that more than 90 per cent urban slum population was asked to bribe at least once. In terms of slum population and the amount spared by them as bribes or in other words service charges, the state of Goa comes on the top followed by Mumbai. Goa is the best placed state by the 11th Finance Commission for its infrastructure. Further on top for the best quality of life in India by the National Commission for population based on 12 indicators. Its per capita income is the highest in the country.
Whether all these facts related to the prosperity contributed in making the slum population prone to offering bribes? The state is the smallest in the country as far as area is concerned and the 4th smallest by population. Its 62.17 per cent population is urban out of which 17 per cent is slum population. The 68 per cent slum population was extracted money for electricity, 62 per cent for water, 60 per cent for police service, 45 per cent for PDS, 42 per cent for municipal services and 35 per cent for health services.
This disseminates that the corruption is deeply rooted in slum population and tolerance against corruption is growing day by day across the country. Seemingly the efforts at various levels to tame the corrupt are not yielding the desired results.
Satpal is a communication consultant
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