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Youth And Corruption: Concerns And Responsibilities
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By Agam Dhingra:
Anthony, a young enthusiastic student aimed to be successful and make his parents proud. He belongs to a middle class family with his father being the sole earner. Having scored 98 percentile in high school examinations, he was certain about gaining admission in a college of his choice. However, his hopes were dashed when he could not gain admission to the best college because of certain eligibility requirements. What saddened him more was that a few of his peers, in spite of having scored lower grades, were granted admission to the college by bribing the college authorities!
Instances like these are common in almost every part of the world. The power of money spells doom for intelligent students like Anthony and other hardworking, wise and honest men. While the rich and powerful continue to take advantage of corrupt practices that have plagued institutions and countries across the globe, the magnitude of corruption differs owing to the situation and circumstances.
Collaborative efforts between citizens and government can help weed out the problem of corruption while ensuring proper enactment and implementation of rules and regulations. Youth, often called the harbingers of change and leaders of tomorrow, can also play a constructive role in establishing a corruption free society.
Self-restraint is perhaps one of the most effective ways of tackling corruption. Self-restraint does not call for leading an ascetic life but taking decisions morally and prudentially while analysing the consequences of our decisions. For instance, it might seem tempting to bribe an official at the driving license office to help fasten up the procedure but it encourages the official to indulge in such nefarious activities. Another important thing to be kept in mind is that change begins with oneself. Mahatma Gandhi had beautifully said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” The youth must themselves refrain from indulging in corrupt practises before they expect the world around them to be free from such evil practises.
Education can help enlighten the youth about the ill effects of corruption and the urgency to tackle this problem. Educated men and women can not only differentiate between what is right and wrong but also encourage others and show them the right direction. The onus of completing one’s education lies on oneself for it helps to widen one’s horizon and lay the stepping-stones to a greater future. Education eliminates the need to rely on corruption for getting things done in life.
Another role that the youth can adopt is to actively participate in the nation building process and show a keen interest in how the country is governed. The judiciary and those elected to power formulate policies and enact laws for the common good of the citizens. Such rules and regulation have long-term implications. Thus, the youth can help solve the problem of corruption by assuming positions of responsibility in politics and earnestly perform their constitutional duties.
Raising awareness and drawing attention of fellow countrymen towards corruption by organising seminars, road shows, orientation sessions, etc. Such initiatives can make people aware about the available remedies in case they have faced corruption and also help bring about an attitudinal change in the thought process of many individuals. Thus, motivating them to refrain from adopting corrupt practises.
The youth must play a decisive role in helping resolve social evils such as corruption so as to establish a moral and just society. There will arise situations when they might have to face obstacles or failure but they must adopt a positive approach and remember that failure is the fog through which we can get a glimpse of triumph.
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kavya
I could feel your article for I have been subject to similar crisis during my time of admission into college- simply because I was against the concept of bribing officials. I believe India- even with its 67th year of independence is dependent on such social evils. Most tenders which are set afloat by the government for the welfare and employment of general public are usually pre-fixed due to big companies offering bribes to officials responsible for the tenders. Every other place is subject to corruption. We, the youth can be progressive only when we learn to say a NO- No to corruption, No to eve teasing, No to dowry, No to female infanticide, No to inequality, No to Monarchy, No to gender discrimination and Yes to a developing nation.
Raj
No to murder, no to kidnapping, no to soldiers and policemen getting killed while defending the country, no to socialism…. many more things are there than just eve-teasing/dowry/female infacticide/gender discrimination
Manan Grover
More of our current leaders, like Durga Shakti should play role models and set examples for the youth who otherwise have started feeling that politics is a dirty profession filled with corruption, spread to the grass root level. They should be encouraged to join and work for the citizens instead of filling their pockest and funding their Swiss trips.
It is the young generation who if acts responsibly, can bring about a change.
Raj
I think large parts of the civil services must be eradicated. Civil servants are a part of the problem. We must severely cut them to size rather than eulogizing them.
Ridhi Murari
It is responsibility alone that helps individuals change their lives. First individual responsibility, then collective responsibility.
Ajay S
Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) are meant for a purpose but we see most of them working for individual's interest of management body members – even at the cost of society funds and welfare of members. It is such an irony that these office bearers of RWAs are otherwise common people and complain of corruption in government and public sector offices all the time. Yet they do the same within their means and reach.
For example, RWA of Krishna Apra Residency (Block: E-8, Sector-61, NOIDA) – a group housing society, is taking a number of illegal decisions and exhorting money from residents. Most residents are busy in their work / offices and find little time to intervene. Given this scenario, RWA has started making structural changes in the society (in public / common space) such as a new gate for the society, changes in individual buildings, parking spaces etc. None of these are based on consent of the residents but through nexus of management of RWA. They are using these projects to exhort more money from residents as well as siphon off money through civil and maintenance work. Unfortunately most residents are silent and paying instead of acting against these corrupt practices, which only motivates the RWA management to be bolder in their corrupt work.