Transform India with Modi

“Transform IndiaWith Modi”
Collective inputs from over 150,000 Citizens on
“Corruption and Transparency in India”
(Issues, Root Causes and Proposed Solutions)
background
A poll of over 100,000 citizens of India recently suggested that 52% of citizens believe
that Fighting Corruption should be the highest priority area for the Government
ahead of Curbing Price Rise, Creating Jobs/Economic Growth and Cleanliness.
The 150,000+ strong Citizens to Governance online community - “Transform India
with Modi” has collectively discussed and debated the subject of “Corruption and
Transparency in India”. The community has collectively identified the Current Issues
and Challenges associated with Corruption in Government, Business and Civil Society
in India. They have found Root Causes for them and finally identified Solutions which
if implemented can help reduce Corruption in India.
Corruption and Transparency Issues
Citizens of India collectively believe that corruption affects most aspects of their daily
life. Corruption issues have been categorized into four different types. However, for
the purposes of this report, only the two areas related to the Government are being
presented.
Citizen to Government Corruption Issues
Citizens of India frequently pay bribes for obtaining various Government services like
Ration Card, LPG connection, Vehicle Registration, Property Registration, Driving
License, Water Connection, Electrical Connection, Getting Sewers Clean, Income Tax
Assessments, Municipality works/permissions, Police FIR, Traffic Police, Passport
Verification, Provident Fund collection, Birth/Marriage Death Certificate,
Aadhar/ID/Voter card, Railway TC seat assignment, School and College Admission,
Hospitals, Courts, Getting Government Jobs and Transfers.
Business to Government Corruption Issues
Businesses in India frequently pay bribes and kickbacks for getting licenses, getting
qualified as a Government supplier, securing tender information, winning a contract,
collecting dues, supply nexus where the Government and Taxpayer is cheated,
corruption in cash and kinds, with individuals officers or everyone in the
chain/transaction. Bribes are generally paid for most inspections and certifications
like Labour, Quality, Fire, Safety, Weights and Measure, Pollution, etc. as well as to
renew most licenses. Bribes are also paid in most tax dealings like VAT, Service Tax,
Custom, Excise, to get a clearance or to file a return.
Corruption Root Causes
General Root Causes
1. Lack of Moral Value education and practice in school and college education
2. Lack of awareness with the common man that Corruption is Bad
3. Celebration of people who have financial wealth rather than the ones who
have been of service to society and nation
4. Gap between demand and supply required for most products, services and
resources.
5. Slow and time consuming legal processes and judgement in general and in
cases of corruption
6. Lack of swift and strong punishments to the ones proven guilty of corruption
7. Lack of an established and adequate electoral funding mechanism
8. Lack of feedback and rating mechanisms
Citizen to Government Corruption Root Causes
1. Excessive amounts of manual paper work and approvals required for most
Citizen Services.
2. Lack of awareness and transparency about Government processes and Citizen
Rights
3. Missing mechanism for processing of most citizen emergency requirements
4. Lack of time bound delivery and penalty mechanisms in Government to Citizen services.
5. Lack of performance orientation and accountability for results in Government
departments
6. Lack of effective Vigilance Department and Ombudsmen for redressal of
governance issues
7. Lack of Transparency in the Government Recruiting and Employee Transfer
process
8. Lack of willingness of many citizens to wait for their turn and follow the
process
9. No customer service orientation given to Government employees
Business to Government Corruption Root Causes
1. Negative and biased outlook of most Government Employees towards
Business.
2. Lack of transparent tendering process for Government projects
3. Complex and ineffective taxation system that gives undue authority and
discretion to Government
4. Lack of stringent and timely action against businesses and individuals engaged
in corruption including cancellation of all business licenses.
5. Manual processes for most steps of the Business to Government transactions
6. Government Delivery of Services out of sync with pace of Business Needs
7. Several Government touch points for businesses at both Central Government
and State
8. Government with no single point of contact for execution or grievances
9. Discretion based decision making in various State and Central Government
departments
10.Funds allocated to Government agencies without objective deliverables and a
clear delivery and sustainment plan
11.Lack of understanding, ongoing training and commitment to ethics both for
Businesses and Government.

Solutions to Corruption
General Solutions
1. Fast track processing of all corruption related cases
2. Strong and timely punishments to the ones proven guilty of corruption
3. Both, the bribe taker and bribe giver must be liable for punishment
4. Development of an effective and adequate electoral funding mechanism
5. Implementation of an easy to access feedback and rating mechanisms for
Government Offices, Officers, Elected Representatives and Businesses.
6. Mandatory Moral Values education in school curriculums
7. Mandatory inclusion of Anti-Corruption as a subject in all college curriculums
8. Social Awareness programs in partnership with Media educating citizens about
Corruption and Bribery
Citizen to Government Corruption Solutions
1. Setting up of a National Corruption Hotline enabling citizens to report
corruption online and via phone call
2. Setting up an effective grievance redressal mechanism for corruption cases
3. Elimination of human interface with electronic interface for every possible
Government-Citizen transaction
4. Elimination of cash transactions at Government Departments
5. Target and Performance oriented objectives and reviews for all Government
Employees with a pre-defined incentive plan
6. Time Bound Delivery targets for Government Departments with predefined
penalties for inaction/delays affecting the Department and Individual
responsible
7. Establish Key Performance Indicators for all Government departments and
publishing them daily/weekly is made a mandatory requirement.
8. Institute awards at departmental and individual levels recognizing results
9. Institute National Level Integrity awards
10.Training of front line Government Employees on Customer Service

11.Outsourced Process Awareness desk and self-serve kiosks for citizens at every
Government office
12.Outsourced computerization of old Government records
13. Prohibition of entry for agents/middle from all Government offices (Similar to
visas for some countries)
14.Annual Declaration of total assets held for all Government employees
15.Implementation of an electronic and documentation oriented recruitment
process for all Government jobs.
16.Formation of a standing tribunal / commission against corruption, where all
persons involved in Government, Judiciary and associated sectors are held
accountable
17.Institution of a "Whistleblower" policy, supported by a legal enactment
18. Establishment of 'Spot Corruption box' similar to 'Complaint box' at corruption
prone locations with fast follow on actions via tracking number.
19.Formation of an Anti-Corruption Ministry
20.Creation of an online citizen community for every constituency, every ministry
and every Government department so the collective citizen community can
easily identify and come together for solutions against corruption.
Business to Government Corruption Solutions
1. Setting up of a Business Corruption Hotline enabling businesses to report
corruption online and via phone call
2. Setting up an effective grievance redressal mechanism for businesses for any
corruption or violation of ethics cases
3. Implementation of a time bound electronic qualification, quotation, tendering,
ordering and payment mechanism for all Government procurements
4. Removal of all Ministerial and Bureaucratic discretionary powers from the
supplier selection process
5. Elimination of cash transactions at Government Departments
6. All public sector enterprises of India to have a Board comprising of at least 2
accomplished private sector professionals as independent Directors
7. All public sector enterprises to sign a national integrity pact with independent
monitors and board level reporting of all corruption cases.
8. All public sector and Government officials to provide an undertaking of no
personal direct or indirect associations with companies they are transacting
Government business
9. All Government employees to exchange information with businesses using
Government email ids. No email exchange permissible via personal emails.
10.Prohibition of all agents in Business to Government transactions
11. Detailed documentation requirement for listed companies on un-receipted
cash and miscellaneous expenses
12.Mandatory requirement for all listed corporates to have an Ethics and
Compliance function with direct reporting to the Board of Directors
Summary
The 150,000+ citizen community strongly believes that if the above recommended
solutions are implemented by the Government, they will drastically reduce
corruption and improve transparency and accountability in India. It is requested that
the PMO and associated ministries take immediate action on this important National
Priority.