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by spraveen80
5643 days ago
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It is a systemic problem. Let me give an example where reasonable number of people will laugh at you if you don't bribe your way out of a harmless situation. Road infrastructure is sorely lacking in India which results in crowded streets. A huge percentage of drivers violate traffic laws everyday to gain even the slightest advantage over fellow roadsters. If the person gets pulled over, what is the best thing to do in that situation: go to the nearby police station, wait for a few hours, pay the fine legally or bribe the cop and get on with your travel? Which would you choose? In this case the person who violated traffic is almost begging for the traffic cop to take a bribe so that he can be on his way. Same situation permeates every public office. Do not underestimate the problem caused by people who are willing to pay a bribe to get preferential service. As long as such people exist, people who accept bribes cannot be shamed into not accepting it. |
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It is in this context that IPAB believes in a systemic approach to tackling corruption. We do not target individuals as they are dispensable and replaceable. It is the system and processes which need to be changed. Alongside focusing on procedural change in the government we also focus on greater knowledge and understanding on the part of the citizen. We work on the belief that citizens who are well-informed of their rights wrt govt services are less likely to indulge in paying a bribe.
To this end, on our site we provide Citizen Charters which are documents of service timelines published by the government. Armed with this document, citizens are better enabled to stand up against corruption. On the govt-facing end of our campaign, we have come out with Janamahiti report for the Transport Department of Bangalore which analyses bribe reports received on our site, pinpoints the most corrupt processes and puts forward suggestions to tackle corruption rampant in this department. We are also briefing the Transport department this week on the Janamahiti and the recommendations it provides.