Opinion | Accountability in India : Are reforms enough to tackle corruption?

The persistence of corruption remains one of the primary challenges faced by India’s administration. Corruption is defined as the abuse of a position of public trust for personal gain. The presence of government and bureaucratic corruption in India has caused the boundaries between authority and accountability to be obscured. Even though legislation, institutional reform, and public strategies were all implemented to combat corruption in India, there has been little or no success regarding the erosion of basic levels of support for effective governance processes.

Numerous strategies have been tried and tested in India to combat corruption. Some examples of these strategies include the enhancement of legislative controls over corruption (e.g., Prevention Of Corruption Act) and the support of anti-corruption mechanisms within organisations (e.g., Central Vigilance Commission). The introduction of means by which to increase public accountability through an increase in the number of opportunities for citizens to access public information (e.g., by passing the Right to Information Act) and through technological improvements (e.g., e-Governance) has also been used to fight corruption. Unfortunately, a few recent instances of widespread corruption have illustrated that issues with the implementation of the above-mentioned strategies are far from over.

Background

Corruption is a phenomenon that is embedded in Indian society due to historical reasons, having its origins in colonial times where misuse of administrative power was widespread. After independence, though several attempts have been made to build strong institutions for better governance, poor implementation and inefficient administration helped corrupt practices continue. Some of the important steps included setting up of Central Vigilance Commission in 1964.

Impact of corruption goes far beyond good governance, influencing social and economic developments of a country. Funds allocated by government for various developmental activities such as health care, education, infrastructure development, among others, may be misappropriated and diverted for personal benefit, thus weakening institutional ability. Further, it leads to distortion of market dynamics, accumulation of black money, and loss of public trust.

Though there have been several measures undertaken to curb corruption, there is much that needs to be done. The need for effective implementation and public participation in curbing corruption remains crucial for long-term solution.

Institutional Reforms

The reformed institutions are a large part of India’s fight against corruption through making it possible for those in power to be held accountable to some extent for their actions, as well as to provide for the enforcement of laws concerning corruption at all levels of government.

The Central Vigilance Commission and Lokpal of India are both large bodies that deal with and oversee corruption allegations at all levels of government.

While these institutions are a step toward improving accountability and transparency in government, their success will depend on their freedom to act, the government’s willingness to act on their recommendations, and the speed at which they can take any necessary actions.

Also, some laws have been updated to help deal with corruption more,-in both an organized manner.

The Prevention of Corruption Act defines what constitutes as both bribery and misuse of authority, as well as stating how long a person convicted of corruption will be required to serve in prison.

Additional laws created to update various aspects of the Criminal Justice System, such as the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

The implementation of Goods and Services Tax and demonetisation in the financial sector in 2016 has helped reduce the amount of cash in circulation, , making transactions more straightforward/understandable for users.

However, due to a large number of different problems related to tracking the actions of the law enforcement agencies, working collaboratively with one another to ensure that they are being treated fairly by their respective systems of governance and laws, the independence of each of the institutions overseeing corruption will be very hard to maintain.

If India is to see any improvement in fighting corruption throughout the country, all of the above must be improved upon over time.

Transparency Measures

The transparency measure in the country plays a very important role. It makes people stronger and less secretive about the process of governance. One important measure that was undertaken in India was the Right to Information Act. Under this act, the citizens have the right to view records of the government authorities and keep them under surveillance. Consequently, more participation has been seen in public affairs and irregularities have been pointed out.

Another factor that contributed to making the country more transparent was the development of digital governance. The Government e-Marketplace (GeM), online payments, and online transaction portals helped limit the possibility of human errors, which led to fewer bribery cases.

Nevertheless, not all areas in the country have reached the same level of development. For instance, Kerala and Himachal Pradesh are noted for low rates of corruption, while Bihar and Uttar Pradesh face issues of higher corruption because of their inefficient administration.

While the measures above were important, they are not enough in themselves. Along with making the government transparent, effective enforcement should be ensured to make the governance system corruption-free.

Governance Challenges

Despite the significant efforts put forth to promote reform and transparency, there remain a number of governance problems that inhibit India’s ability to fight corruption. Bureaucratic obstacles can enable corruption and inefficiency of government-provided services. Political interference creates further barriers to anti-corruption efforts, and affects the independence of institutions, and anti-corruption bodies and agencies.

In addition, existing legal mechanisms may not be well enforced, may take an inordinately long period for judicial proceedings, and have very few convictions, all of which detract from their effectiveness. The lack of public participation caused by apathy due to lack of knowledge and the absence of accessible mechanisms for filing and resolving complaints also represents an obstacle to effective anti-corruption efforts, although recent innovations like the Right to Information have created some new opportunities for expanded access.

Although transparency reforms have generally been effective, they have not addressed all the systemic challenges; with improved coordination between authorities, better protection for whistle blowers, and greater accountability is also needed.

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