Role of Youth in eradicating corruption in India
Revolutions around the world have been fought by young blood. Women and men, tired of the status quo raising their fists and their voices to shake oppression and overthrow it. A similar war is needed to eradicate corruption in India with the same army whose stamina is driven by their ambition. How does one proceed to do so then?
Corruption is defined by the dictionary as “dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, typically involving briberyâ€. Therefore, corruption is something which can be felt by those who partake in the system i.e. the country’s citizens. As per the Berlin-based organisation’s corruption perception index, India is ranked at 79 out of the 176 countries that participated. [1]This puts India behind Estonia, Bhutan, Botswana and Rwanda among others. The youth of today should see this as an opportunity. If a country which is synonymous with one of the worst human disasters can feel that its system is less corrupt than our ‘Sone ki chidiya’, India can make it. Getting over this initial shock, is India doing that badly? It is interesting to compare India’s corruption index scores with those of its BRICS cousins:[2]
We can see India’s scores rising gradually compared some fluctuations among the other nations. This shows that people are slowly gaining more faith in the system. Therefore, today’s youth can spark the revolution knowing that:
1. Countries in a worse shape than India (economically) or without the population dividend have been able to make it and thus we more than have the potential to make it.
2. Our index score is rising steadily and not fluctuating and down. While there is still room for improvement, we are gaining momentum towards people having a positive outlook about corruption in the country.
Therefore, with motivation and momentum, the spark for the revolution has been set. How does one proceed with it though?
To study an issue, one must break it down into elements which can be then seen individually. This paper uses data from Transparency International.[3] As per the world economic forum, there are four pillars to corruption consisting of:[4]
1. The Corrupt: Who do Indians think implement corruption?
And how exploited by our public institutions?
2. Impunity: Why do Indian feel people do not report corruption?
3. Tolerance: Do we tolerate such behaviours?
The answer seems to be a no:
While Indians feels they can solve it:
They also feel that we are less forgiving to the corrupt:
Maybe be too co-operative when trying to solve this:
So what comes in the way of citizens curbing corruption?
And what solutions do people advocate?
So, we know from our three pillars that we face a lot of corruption, seem to experience it a lot at our public institutions and seem to feel the most corrupt are those we interact with at the lower levels of governance (e.g. police). We also know that people do not see corruption as something that is acceptable and are willing to take the necessary steps (and invest some personal effort) if that is what it takes. The key problem areas seem to be that:
1. People are afraid. This also spills over to the fourth biggest concern which is that the officials reporting the crime will also be corrupt.
2. People don’t have time to report those issues.
The solution may also lie in the proposed solutions:
1. Refusing to pay bribes.
2. Reporting corruption. Etc.
So what can the revolution be made of? It can be of two parts aided by digital:
1. Localised mobilisation: Youngsters need to come together to form an organisation. The campaign would have to be local to accommodate the unique needs of the region. As a group, there can be co-ordinated efforts to refuse to pay bribes. With today’s technology, it is possible to connect people across a city through WhatsApp groups. They can come together when any one person faces corruption issues.
2. Accountability: If youngsters can create omnichannel outlets to help report and publish counts of corruption anonymously. People can report cases of corruption which can then be taken forth by individuals in the organisation who are well versed in law. Through collective action, people are willing to stand up for other people thus becoming a credible threat to corrupt authority. This is a people’s civic union.
Through this kind of action, the revolution to start making a change in the country can begin. However, one must be wary of false signs and symbols which can distract the movement. Take for instance a report which showed that post demonization almost half the country felt that corruption had decreased.[5] Demonetisation was not a structural blow to corruption, just a short time band aid. The movement must not be misguided by such events that may confuse the metrics on which the movement is being measured. Thus, the youth also need to be clear about the end objective of structural improvement.
Rome was not built in a day. Delhi will not be cleaned in a day and we saw how ineffective the broom was. What the revolution to right corruption needs is a vacuum cleaner powered by the youth who are the only ones who can power this long and dangerous fight. Data shows us that India is ready to take this demon head on. However, what will be done and whether the correct kind of guidance will be available to dictate this movement will be seen.
Bibliography:
https://cmsindia.org/sites/default/files/Monograph_ICS_2017.pdf
https://www.transparency.org/news/feature/corruption_perceptions_index_2016#table
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/06/the-4-pillars-of-corruption-and-how-to-topple-them/
[1] https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/indicators/india-improves-on-transparency-corruption-index-scores-40-out-of-100/articleshow/56787651.cms
[2] https://www.transparency.org/news/feature/corruption_perceptions_index_2016#table
[3] https://www.transparency.org/whatwedo/publication/people_and_corruption_asia_pacific_global_corruption_barometer
[4] https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/06/the-4-pillars-of-corruption-and-how-to-topple-them/
[5] https://cmsindia.org/sites/default/files/Monograph_ICS_2017.pdf