Representative image of corruption.
Credit: iStock Photo
An annual fixture in the national calendar is Vigilance Awareness Week, observed during the week of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s birthday (October 31). As per the website of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), this year the week was to be observed from October 28 to November 3.
It is a sobering reflection that we must dedicate a week to raise awareness of the need to eradicate corruption. Corruption is a stark reality in India; nothing exemplifies this more than the candid statement in the very first line of the integrity pledge prescribed by the CVC for citizens and organisations: “I/We believe that corruption has been one of the major obstacles to economic, political, and social progress of our country.”
The idea of a vigilance awareness week was first mooted in 2000 by the then Chief Vigilance Commissioner. At that time, as per the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Report on Human Development 1999 on South Asia, India was ranked 110, while the Corruption Perception Index ranked India 73 out of 99 countries. Not much appears to have changed: The UNDP Report for 2023-2024 ranks India 134th out of 193 countries, while we figure at 93 in the Corruption Perception Index.
Clearly, there is still much work to be done, and yes, unfortunately, we need to be reminded about the dangers of corruption, about the need to fight it, about the need to eliminate it. Building integrity and curbing corruption are key elements in the fight.
The theme for this year’s Vigilance Awareness Week was ‘Culture of Integrity for the Nation’s Prosperity’. A culture of integrity would suggest that integrity should be woven into the ethos of the nation. The nation is a sum of its citizens. How then do you develop integrity in citizens? Integrity, at its most elementary level, means doing the right thing every time, irrespective of consequences. It would mean as simple a thing as stopping at a traffic signal even at 2 am. Education is a key requirement. The much-maligned moral education classes for schools are critical. They, through stories and anecdotes of good being rewarded and evil being punished, get imprinted in the minds of the young. They help create spiritual awareness in the young to distinguish between right and wrong.
Religious values also help in character building, in strengthening the resolve of a person to not stray from the right path. The family and the home also have an important role to play. Integrity is imbibed by the young by the example we set.
Corruption, which eats into the vitals of our country, is the result of a lack of integrity. Prof Arun Kumar, who has written extensively about black money in India, has suggested that the extent of the black economy in India is estimated to be 62% of the gross domestic product, generating (at 2016-2017 prices) about Rs 93 lakh crore. Evasion of taxes or an acceptance of bribes are major contributors to the generation of black money. And this is nothing but a lack of integrity and corruption at its most basic level.
Since admittedly our integrity levels are poor, we need to put in place mechanisms to curb corruption. On a larger macro level, transparency and democracy are vital antidotes against corruption. The Right to Information Act and the Whistleblowers Act are all steps in that direction. However, neither of these are panaceas that will ensure there is no corruption. It is just that it would make being corrupt a little bit difficult.
It is imperative that laws are clear and unambiguous. Compliance requirements and procedures should be simplified. Every organisation should assess corruption risks and ensure adequate checks are in place to prevent corruption. Technology with an emphasis on faceless interaction with the authorities is essential. What this implies is that technology is simple, can be accessed by citizens, and works. It is important also that punishment for the corrupt is prompt. Delay in doing so encourages them—and more importantly, discourages the honest.
Speaking on the occasion of the Vigilance Awareness Week on November 8, 2024, the President mentioned the writings of Megasthenes, the ancient Greek indologist, and Fa Hien, the intrepid Chinese traveller, who had written about the simplicity and austerity in the lives of Indians. They wrote about how Indians disliked indiscipline and how they followed the law. The President has berated the ‘pessimistic attitude of some people, which is not right, to consider the elimination of corruption as impossible.’ She has expressed confidence that the Government of India’s ‘Zero Tolerance Policy’ will eradicate corruption from its roots. May we all live to see that day.
(The writer is a retired chairman of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs)