Corruption in India goes hand in hand with almost everything. Its like an invisible commission that people have to pay in order to make things work, to make files move and to get things sorted out. In India, its like an invisible tax implied on everyone. You either pay or you are paid, there is no third choice in India. The problem is deep rooted. It starts from the day you are born, birth certificate to the certificate of your death. The system is so powerful that if you are not willing to bend, you are thrown out of it. There are numerous examples of the power of money.
The amount of black money quoted by many is astonishing. Though I seriously don’t think they quote the right figures, even Rs.100 of black money damages the nation and here we are talking about trillions or dollars more than the national debt, more than enough for us to be 3rd or 4rth largest economy of the world, enough to get rid of all the debt twice over.
Recently, India noticed its share of light in the fight against corruption as a 73 year old man on hunger strike got all the nation united against the fight. I don’t think people who stood by him really wanted to get rid of this evil but I was happy that the country is still united when it comes to causes of national importance. But its all in vein. You cannot have a law that takes action against the people who are corrupt ad hope that this prevents corruption in the country. The problem in India is not just limited to people demanding it, its more about equal number of people willing to offer it to get things done favourably. A law or strict norms won’t help but if human tendencies are to be believed, it only encourages the issues.
I have two possible ways of getting out of this mess. They might have there own issues and problems, but if we try hard may be we can win, India can win
1. Legalize payments as commisions and get rid of fixed salaries or reduce them: It sounds a bit childish but in all fairness, its probably the best possible solution. Corruption does not hurt the economy as much as black money does. If we can stop or block the flow of black money, we have the money in the market that is perfectly legal, useable and will not hurt the economy. The salaries are removed and the money is than utilized in social improvements educating the people about the ill effects of black money rather than corruption that is not illegal and is more like commision. Besides, government can fix the rates and people who ask for more can than be considered as corrupt. The commison model can infact improve the development process as the faster the work is done, the more are the chances of eaarings.
2. Central banking system with more debit cards than actual money in circulation: It is an accepted fact that most of the money that is used as corruption is untrace able. The reason is there is ample amount of money in circulation and more comes in each day. The lack of centralized banking system that keeps track of all the bank accounts of over 1.2 billion people is not unrealistic considering the IT powers of Indian economy. The strong baking sector can further reduce the withdrawl of money by encouraging people to use debit cards as a mean of transaction. Further having a limit on the daily withdrawls and monthly withdrawal of money can severly dent the corruption and black money market. If the government can keep a track of the money flow througha central banking system, I guess its very easy to collect tax and curb corruption if you can keep a check on the flow of funds.
The road ahead is very mysterious and trust me when i say, more difficult than imaginable. Creating awareness about something as lustfull as money is one hell of a task. People are greedy by nature and thats something noone can deny. The lust never dies. Hence, to make them to realise there responsiblites about there nation is as easy as task as finding a hair pin not in hay but in running water. Its impossible but something that a nation has to rise up and do in order to reach at its rightful place. A responsible super power.
Adrenaline Rush 