Dealing with corruption

The most visible problem every Indian today deals with is corruption. Corruption in todays date has reached to the roots of every Indian system and process. Whatever you want to get done you find a person who can do it for you in the easiest possible way and that is by giving some money. From admissions in schools to getting jobs, from driving licence to death certificate, opening a tea stall to registering an MNC all you need to do is throw some money and every job is easy for you. But if you are not ready to throw money forget about guidelines and process a government office has to follow. Every thing now seems like a Everest which you can never climb upon.

Ever thought why is this so? The roots of this never ending problem were laid at Diru Bhai Ambani times (I think it this way as I could make out from the movie Guru). He climbed up the ladder of success paying for everything he could and getting his job done. Today we all do the same. We pay for our jobs to get done. And if not the officials don't do your work. So, now you have two ways, either pay and get your job done easily and if you can not pay there is no way you can get that done until n unless the official is your fast friend or relative. That is now a habit. Police to Ministers all ask for money and we happily pay them. We all contribute to this problem of corruption. Government even if tries can not eliminate the corruption totally until we people support them. And we can not support them because we do not not what is the right way of getting a work done. We all know paying money is the only way.

The solution is not simple but it is still not difficult enough. All we people need today is knowledge of what is the right and procedural way of getting something done officially. Not just the people using the system also the officials sitting. They also need to be reminded of the right ways of working. All this can be done with the help of media. I really appreciate the "Jaagore" campaign of Government of India to spread awareness for voting. The advertisements were really provoking and truly speaking after becoming an adult legally I voted only after I was motivated by this campaign. They spread awareness on how to get yourself added as a legal voter and how to get your Voter ID cards made. The websites also listed candidates of every constituency so you can refer to them and check background before voting for them. That was a successful and a very right campaign.

Interestingly, Jaagore campaign has now been taken forward on the issue of corruption. Again the campaign is good but this time it is just telling people not to give bribes to any official. The intent is good but the approach is not complete. Here we all know that we are also a part of this corrupt system. We pay to get our work done. But we don't know how to get our work done without paying. The campaign here must also focus on the most common processes people deal with e.g making a driving licence. Telecast advertisements telling the right process of making driving licence. How to get your passport made. How to get medical aid at government hospitals for poor people etc are the processes every common man needs to know. The toughest job is to deal with Police for any issue.

Sarcastically, today the most easy processes are how to pay taxes. Income taxing, sales tax, property tax etc paying has become online and very convenient. After all this is where the money comes from :).

Anyways, moving further after knowing how the processes are done we are half way through. Now the public and officials know the right way getting the job done. But how can you force officials to follow right practices? There comes a need of a strong complaint cell. Now, one may argue we already have a complaint cell, but is that really working? We need a complaint cell which is effective and responsive. Must be headed and guided by a good and known authority, like CBI for example, or may be a completely new one having right and not not corrupt officials (yes, there are such people too existing :p ). This cell must be autonomous and not to be pressurized by any Minister or political leader. Police or anyone.

All in all, we need is and informative medium on what should be done how and if that doesn't fall in place we have a strong complaint cell to back it. Once this is done and common public is assured that it works, slowly the processes and right practices will fall in place. It will surely not happen overnight but still it has hope.

Sumit