POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT
The officials named in corruption cases work in some of the most sensitive government departments, including those in the ministries of defense , railways and external affairs, as well as the cabinet secretariat, which is under the direct charge of the prime minister.
Unemployment in India is characterized by chronic underemployment or disguised unemployment. Government schemes that target eradication of both poverty and unemployment (which in recent decades has sent millions of poor and unskilled people into urban areas in search of livelihoods) attempt to solve the problem, by providing financial assistance for setting up businesses, skill honing, setting up public sector enterprises, reservations in governments, etc. The decreased role of the public sector after liberalization has further underlined the need for focusing on better education and has also put political pressure on further reforms.
Corruption has been one of the pervasive problems affecting India. The economic reforms of 1991 reduced the red tape, bureaucracy and the Licence Raj that had strangled private enterprise and was blamed for the corruption and inefficiencies. Yet, a 2005 study by Transparency International (TI) India found that more than half of those surveyed had firsthand experience of paying bribe or peddling influence to get a job done in a public office.
The Right to Information Act (2005) and equivalent acts in the states, that require government officials to furnish information requested by citizens or face punitive action, computerization of services and various central and state government acts that established vigilance commissions have considerably reduced corruption or at least have opened up avenues to redress grievances. The Economist's article about Indian civil service (2008) says that Indian central government employs around 3 million people and states another 7 million, including "vast armies of paper-shuffling peons". Million dollar bureaucracies can be run without a single computer in the management.
At local level, administration can be worse. It is not unheard of that most state assembly seats are held by convicted criminals.One study found out that 25% of public sector teachers and 40% of public sector medical workers could not be found at the workplace. India's absence rates are one of the worst in the world.
The Reserve Bank of India has warned that India's public-debt to GDP ratio is over 70%. The government of India is highly indebted and its former investment-grade status has deteriorated near junk status. India's current public-debt to GDP ratio is 58.2% (US has 60.8%)
GOVERNMENT BIGGEST HURDLE IN WAR ON CORRUPTION
A powerful force is hindering in India’s war in corruption- the government. Figures available with the Civil Vigilance Commission for the past five years show that ministries and departments have not only been turning blind eyes to the cases of graft but also giving the accused a clean chit without explanation or sufficient reason.
The officials named in corruption cases work in some of the most sensitive government departments, including those in the ministries of defense , railways and external affairs, as well as the cabinet secretariat, which is under the direct charge of the prime minister.
Unemployment in India is characterized by chronic underemployment or disguised unemployment. Government schemes that target eradication of both poverty and unemployment (which in recent decades has sent millions of poor and unskilled people into urban areas in search of livelihoods) attempt to solve the problem, by providing financial assistance for setting up businesses, skill honing, setting up public sector enterprises, reservations in governments, etc. The decreased role of the public sector after liberalization has further underlined the need for focusing on better education and has also put political pressure on further reforms.
Corruption has been one of the pervasive problems affecting India. The economic reforms of 1991 reduced the red tape, bureaucracy and the Licence Raj that had strangled private enterprise and was blamed for the corruption and inefficiencies. Yet, a 2005 study by Transparency International (TI) India found that more than half of those surveyed had firsthand experience of paying bribe or peddling influence to get a job done in a public office.
The Right to Information Act (2005) and equivalent acts in the states, that require government officials to furnish information requested by citizens or face punitive action, computerization of services and various central and state government acts that established vigilance commissions have considerably reduced corruption or at least have opened up avenues to redress grievances. The Economist's article about Indian civil service (2008) says that Indian central government employs around 3 million people and states another 7 million, including "vast armies of paper-shuffling peons". Million dollar bureaucracies can be run without a single computer in the management.
At local level, administration can be worse. It is not unheard of that most state assembly seats are held by convicted criminals.One study found out that 25% of public sector teachers and 40% of public sector medical workers could not be found at the workplace. India's absence rates are one of the worst in the world.
The Reserve Bank of India has warned that India's public-debt to GDP ratio is over 70%. The government of India is highly indebted and its former investment-grade status has deteriorated near junk status. India's current public-debt to GDP ratio is 58.2% (US has 60.8%)