Corruption is a term which we all got familiar with since the time when we were in school. When said in layman terms it refers to a form of criminal activity, sense of dishonesty or an evil act committed by an individual or group. However, the thing which makes it even worse is that it compromises with the rights and privileges of others. Moreover, corruption does not necessarily include activities like bribery or embezzlement, it can take place in many ways. Often, it is mainly the people in positions of authority who are believed to be susceptible to corruption. Let us first look at the ways through which corruption is committed.
Methods of Corruption
Bribery is one of the most common method of corruption which involves an improper use of favours and gifts in exchange for personal gain. Furthermore, the types of favours are diverse, they can range from money, gifts, company shares to even sexual favours, entertainment, and political benefits. Personal gain can also become a reason while giving preferential treatment or while overlooking crime.
Embezzlement is another kind of corruption which refers to the act of withholding assets for the purpose of theft. Furthermore, this financial fraud can take place by one or more individuals who were entrusted with these assets. The graft is a global form of corruption and basically refers to an illegal use of a politician’s authority for personal gain. Furthermore, a popular way for graft is misdirecting public funds for the personal benefit of politicians. Extortion is another major method of corruption through which an individual means to obtain property, money or services illegally. Extortion is obtained by coercing individuals or organizations. Hence, it can also be considered quite similar to blackmail.
Favouritism and nepotism is also quite an old form of corruption which is still used by some people. In this method, a person favours their own relatives and friends to jobs instead of deserving candidates. This biased approach naturally makes it an unfair practice. Another common method of corruption is abuse of discretion. In this method a person misuses one’s power and authority. For instance, when a judge unjustly dismisses a criminal’s case, he is committing abuse of discretion.
Finally, influence peddling in one more method through which corruption spreads. It refers to illegally using one’s influence with the government or other authorized individuals in order to obtain preferential treatment or favour.
How to stop Corruption?
It is high time, when one needs to take a strong stand against corruption and put an end to it. Though with the current state of deep-rooted corruption, cleaning would be not be an easy job. However, even if a few people start with the motto of one person and one day at a time, this corruption virus can be tackled rightfully. One effective way of preventing corruption can be to provide the government employs a better salary and due respect. Sometimes, the reason due to which government employees’ resort to corruptive ways is because they receive pretty low salaries. Consequently, high salaries, better respect and regular inspections can boost up their will for working transparently and reduce their resolve to engage in bribery.
Since the workload is pretty high and the employees are comparatively fewer in most of the government offices, this gives them an opportunity to slow down the work. Hence, they get a chance to indulge in bribery to in return for faster work delivery. Therefore, increasing the number of young and more efficient workers can be another suitable way of curbing corruption.
In general, tough laws are also pretty important for stopping Corruption. When there will be strict punishments for guilty individuals, the probability of people committing evil deeds can be relatively less. However, with this step, there should also be an efficient and quick implementation of these strict laws.Applying cameras in workplaces is another excellent way to prevent individuals from indulging in corruption due to fear of being caught.
At the end, the major way which can stop this deadly corruption virus from spreading further is to throw our personal greed as well as selfish motives away and rather think collectively for all of the Indian citizens.
Always remember, when stayed united, it is harder to fall!
-By: Muskan Aggarwal
Behavioural Science 