A Study on Corruption in Chennai City

Corruption has a lot of attention around the world. This study discusses issues related to the characteristics, causes, consequences and possible corrective actions. This paper also investigates whether the costs of corruption are conditional on the extent of government intervention in the economy. Corruption takes place behind closed doors, which makes empirical research on corruption challenging. After decades of corruption research find out still struggle to produce reliable measures and assess the success of anti-corruption efforts. Three pillars are considered to essential for the country’s growth, namely, the legislative, the executive and judiciary. These pillars when they are deviating from the established righteous path, corruption erupts to an unimaginable Level. The present study focuses on Tamil Nadu State primarily and the outcome of the study nature, concept and causes shown by way of using simple Percentage analysis.


Introduction
As it manifests in diverse ways and serves a variety of purposes in various circumstances, corruption is a complicated and multifaceted phenomenon with several origins and effects.The corruption phenomena might be as simple as a payment that is against the law or as pervasive as a political or economic system that is fundamentally broken.The issue of corruption has been viewed as either a structural issue in politics or economics or as a problem with culture and personal morality.As a result, there are many different ways to define corruption, from the general words "misuse of public power" and "moral decay" to the strict and transfer of legal definitions of corruption as an act of bribery involving a public worker and a transfer of tangible resources.Its pervasiveness and sometimes complexity is part of the background for this 'state of the art' survey on corruption in recent academics.We aim to identify the main academic discourses on corruption, to single out and categorize the current debates on corruption and to classify the basic arguments and empirical findings.Thus, the empirical study is based on the opinions by the undergraduate students.
Economists and the general public have become more aware of the prevalence of corruption in recent years.Investigating why corruption occurs and what makes it so differentially pervasive among nations is prompted by understanding of the tremendous effects it has on a nation's growth.Recent studies have demonstrated the relationship between a wide range of factors and corruption.However, when using various corruption metrics, samples, or, more crucially, conditioning sets, disputed results appear to be rather frequent.In such a situation, we would never stop wondering if testing a different specification may provide the same results unless a thorough sensitivity analysis was performed to control the robustness of factors that were significant.My aim is to find any truly robust determinants of corruption among the various factors identified by past studies as significantly related to corruption.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM:
The economic health of central, state, and local government entities in India is impacted by corruption in a variety of ways.India's economy is said to be being stifled by corruption.According to a 2005 Transparency International research, more than 62% of Indians have at some stage paid a bribe to a public official to complete a task.Another study conducted in 2008 revealed that nearly 50% of Indians have first-hand knowledge of utilizing bribes or contracts to obtain services from governmental officials.India placed 85th out of 180 nations in Integrity International's 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index, which graded each nation on a scale of 0 ("highly corrupt") to 100 ("very clean").The top-scoring nation is the one that is thought to have the most honest public sector.For comparison, the top score was 90 (ranked 1), the worst score was 12, and the average score was 43.A number of causes, such as officials embezzling money from government social welfare programs, contribute to corruption.Examples include the National Rural Health Mission and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.There are numerous regulatory and police stops on interstate highways, which forces India's trucking business to pay billions of rupees in bribes each year.
The media has extensively covered allegations that dishonest Indian citizens have hidden millions of rupees in Swiss banks.These accusations, which were eventually proven true in 2015-2016, were refuted by Swiss authorities.Following an examination that lasted until June 2021, the Central Board of Direct Taxes of India (CBDIT) reported unreported assets totaling Rs 20,078 core in a response to right to information (RTI) petitions in July 2021.
Excessive regulations, complex tax and licensing systems, numerous government departments with opaque bureaucracies and discretionary powers, monopolies of institutions under the control of the government over the delivery of specific goods and services, and a lack of transparency in laws and procedures are all examples of corruption cases in India.In India, there are notable differences in both the extent of corruption and the government's efforts to eradicate it.The presence research thus outlines the methods for minimizing corruption.

NEED FOR THE STUDY:
Today, corruption is a major problem in India that has attracted significant public attention as well as a lot of scholarly study.However, there is disconnecting between what has attracted media attention, the policy alternatives being debated, and the real empirical data on corruption.The broad and pervasive sense of corruption is supported by academic research.However, we discover that the costs of routine corruption are at least as high as those of the "scams" that frequently make headlines.Furthermore, we discover that there is scant evidence to back up the claim that increased openness, knowledge, and community-based initiatives can significantly reduce corruption on their own.This is also true for some technology initiatives, though those interventions, such as direct benefit transfers, that avoid middlemen and dishonest officials, as well as those that give citizens and beneficiaries more negotiating power, have a considerably larger chance of success.The logical and comprehensive legislative agenda to fight corruption, which includes the Right to Service and Public Procurement Bills, gives us a lot to be proud of.The application of the legislation, not its mere existence on paper, is what matters most for battling corruption.As usual, the government's willingness and ability to punish dishonest officials and lawmakers serves as the study's binding constraint.

LITERATURE REVIEW:
Every aspect of Indian culture has naturally been affected by corruption, but the Indian Parliament, corporate leaders, policymakers, and civic organizations are working to develop effective anti-corruption solutions for these issues.(Sondhi, 2000) John S.T. Quas (2008) has analyzed in his paper the problem of corruption in India by examining its causes and various anti-corruptions measures employed by the government from the formation in 1941 of the first anti-corruption agency now changed as CBI in 1963.The lack of political will of the leaders' unfavorable policy text was the major hindrance of the anti-corruption laws in India.It resulted in lower per capita expenditure and least favorable staff-population of CBI in India in comparison with Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea and Thailand.CBI powers were limited in comparison with other countries in India.So, it was impossible to control corruption in the near future.
Charron(2010) explored the relationship between five common explanations of corruption within the literature with corruption levels in Indian states using released survey data from 2005.This study systematically explores variations in levels of perceived and experienced corruption of everyday citizens in India.Due to an admittedly limited amount of data especially with respect to the dependent variablea cross-sectional analysis was employed here with 20 of the 28 Indian states.From the analysis of this study, the outcome was that more literacy through education and more fiscally Independent state governments were less corrupted.If there has been a substantial change in how the public views or perceives corruption after the passage of the "Right to Information Act" in 2005, which aims to require public utilities and services to make their customer interactions open to the public.
Debroy and Bhandari (2011) have suggested that India does not require more laws to control corruption; it requires fewer laws that are enforced.

AREA OF THE STUDY:
The present study was conducted at Taramani Law College and Poonamallee medical college in Chennai city.This paper tried to elicit the perception of corruption, the root cause of corruption, and how it can be reduced in the minds of people from different walks of life (especially among the students in the age category from 17-21 years).Lot of input was collected by the study respondents (30) and gave an opinion to eliminate corruption in the society which plays havoc in individuals' life to a great extent.

METHOD OF THE STUDY:
The present study is purely based on primary and secondary data.The primary data collected through online surveys in the Google form.The inputs and collected responses were arranged in an orderly for analysis purposes.So the present study has adopted a descriptive method.

OPERATIONAL DEFINITION:
The present study refers to corruption that decreases public trust in justice and weakens the capacity of the government to guarantee the protection of human rights, and it affects the tasks and duties of the judges, lawyers, and so on.
This study considered students who are pursuing their respective courses in the Taramani Law University and Poonamallee Medical colleges in the study area.They have been selected as respondents (students) because they are the future of our society.

SOURCES OF DATA:
This study consists of primary and secondary sources of data.The primary data used online surveys such as primary source (focus group) for interview method and qualitative data collection and framing questionnaire.Secondary sources of data used from different websites, archival records for case studies through websites, and books in the textual analysis.i.e., published reports from books, journals, magazines, case studies and newspapers.

TOOLS OF DATA COLLECTION:
This study is based on the online survey method, using Google form conducted among the students who are pursuing their studies.

SCOPE OF LIMITATIONS:
The present study selected the respondents from Taramani and Poonamallee college students in the age group of 17 to 21 years.Students who are studying in colleges and Universities in different courses, both male and female students (30 nos.) were considered for the present study area respondents.
The present study only selected Taramani and Poonamallee College as a study area.The research was data collected from the available respondents in the study area and respondents selected only in the age group of 17 to 21 years.So, the future researcher can identify the research gap and conduct the research in this area.

DATA INTERPRETATION:
The data collected were analyzed by a simple statistical tool to find out the perception about corruption in the minds of the people.The outcome is considered as the basis for framing suggestions for the removal of corruption in the society.

Root cause of corruption: Poverty and illiteracy
Total respondents selected for the study reveal that they cause corruption in the study area.Students who have been attending the survey, about 62 percent of them mentioned that poverty and illiteracy play a direct role in the corruption and only 38 percent of the students stated that these two alone are not reasons for the cause of corruption, but other aspects are also related to it.
Owing to poverty people are not able to acquire the basic knowledge of functioning in their day to day life.They found it very difficult to get their legitimate work done with so many difficulties leading to the toil of their time and energy.Leaders are profiting on the illiteracy and poor conditions and making money like crazy.Even the simplest tasks of the common people are made somewhat cumbersome and snatch their hard-earned money to provide their legitimate requirements.In short, the Government should take utmost care in eradicating poverty and illiteracy among the masses with suitable time and sound programmes.It concludes that the number of the study respondents stated that poverty and illiteracy are the root causes of corruption in the study area.

Role of Education is important for Eradicating corruption
The present study explains that the role of education is important to eradicating corruption and also shows the relationship between education and corruption.97 percent of them have stated that the role of education is important for eliminating corrupt activities.True to say that a good education will nurture good habits and make them think about everything for the welfare of all.The present-day leaders do not possess broad minds in their approach to various problems.In a country where teachers are given due respect, the learning atmosphere will be conducive to make people learn well.Not only the memory aspect of learning but also the analyzing and thinking capacity is considered as an essential one in good education.This alone will facilitate people to make some concrete decisions, be it in the personal life or in the public life.In fact, real education is related to attitude and behavior with others.No matter how qualified a person is, it defines their entire personality, and dealing with the public cause requires some analytical skill.Remaining of the only three per cent of them have stated that negatively that there is no any role for education to eradicate corruption in the study area.It is clear that the majority of the respondents stated that education has a vital role to play in removing corruption.

Need for Transparency in removing corruption
The present study reflects the transparency for removing corruption.Of the 30 students who were considered for the study, 93 percent of them mentioned that transparency is needed in all acts undertaken by the Government and the others in general followed by only seven percent of the respondents have said that transparency may not be used for eradication of corruption in the society.
Transparency in procedures will make people find out the time it takes in a job.Once it is clear, there is no need to pay anything extra to others.People, who are in the habits of a corrupt mentality, will find it difficult to cheat people.One day or the other, they will be forced to accept the righteous way of functioning.
Rules, regulations, and processes should be clarified and frequently communicated to the public via print and electronic media.Any changes in rules and regulations must be informed to the people immediately to avoid paying money to get their due job done.People who are timely informed would be more educated and may not be aware of corruption before unscrupulous individuals.
It concludes that the majority of the respondents reported that transparency is needed for removing corruption and right activities.

Change in the ruling party increases the corruption level
The present research implies changes in the ruling party and level of corruption in the study area.It is stated that 54 percent of students raised their voice in relation to the increase in corruption not due to changes in Government once in five years.At times, the duration of the government may be less than the established duration of five years, which may be due to political problems.
The fact of the matter is when a government plans some programmes and allocation of huge amounts takes place, rarely will it see the light.At times, it may take longer than five years to finish the programs.In such cases, the party which is in power, won the election and assumed power subsequently, there will not be, rarely, any increase in the cost of the programmes.Even when it increases, it may be limited to a minimal level.46 percent of them have supported the idea that changing the ruling party only increases the corruption level due to changes in the various controversial activities.On the contrary, when a new Government assumes power, the plans and programmes of the earlier government may be canceled out rightly, leading to wastage of public money.The new government which is in power may start a new programme and, naturally, there will be ample room for corruption.Unnecessarily, public money is being wasted.The continuance of past programs will be considered a commendable act if they are morally upright enough.But it rarely takes place in the country, and hereby corruption becomes the order of the day.

Characteristics of Corruption:
Corruption, as it is understood today, refers to an irregular, illegal and immoral practice associated with our public life.
• An act of corruption involves dereliction of duty, moral and legal lapses.
• Persons party to corruption tends to neglect their prescribed duty deliberately.
• Corruption accusations are made against people who stray from their official duties in order to benefit financially or to make their families' lives more comfortable or convenient.• Receiving bribes for both doing the right thing at the right time and doing the right thing wrongly is a common practice in corruption.• Corruption involves the abuse of power associated with a public office or public life.

Causes of Corruption:
Corruption is a complicated issue that has been brought about and disseminated by a number of sources.The following is a list of the root causes of corruption as identified by C.B. Mamoria: ✓ Uncertainty ✓ Financial high income tax rate ✓ The government employees receive meager pay ✓ The emergence of fresh sources of power and riches ✓ The democratic system ✓ The simple fact that there is black money ✓ Economic and social modernization The aforementioned variables have combined to create an environment that is favorable to corruption.

Corruption prevail sectors
The present study implies the prevailing sector for corruption in the study area.76 percent of the students raised their voice in politics where corruption prevails at a high level.Invest in high levels of transparency and independent external scrutiny, keep pace with new challenges as technology and opportunities for wrongdoing evolve.Thus, more cooperation to fight corruption is required to reduce corruption in politics.Judiciary (7%), increases the number of judges, as this would result in the speedy process and enable quick remedy to the citizens.Judicial accountability so as to the courts are made answerable to the public, etc… will reduce corruption in judiciary Police (7%) Active participation of civil society and media organizations in checking the corruption prevalent in the police department could help in reducing the corruption up to some extent.The government should increase the scope of technology.Others (7%) and least to the private sectors (3%), various corporate characteristics can be examined within due diligence assessment to reduce corruption riskssuch as age, financial data (such as extreme profitability), ownership, and management structure.Other factors include firm reputation, effectiveness of risk control systems, and application of anti-bribery regulations.

Higher wages for bureaucrats reduce corruption
The present study represents the relationship between wages and corruption.31 percent of students raised their voice that an increase in wages for bureaucrats will reduce corruption but 69 percent of them have not supported it because, the bureaucrats after they receive higher salaries, the greedy for money becomes more for them.Thus, the increases in the salary give them a higher appetite for corruption.At the same time , it is to be noted that in some cases it can be reversed where the people get higher wages can lead them to live comfortable lives , which can reduce/stop their thoughts turning to illegal works (like corruption).It is clear that wages and corruption have an indirect and sometimes direct relationship.More number of the respondents reported that higher wages for bureaucrats' corruption activities were increased in the study area.

FINDINGS:
The present study shows that the number of the study respondents stated that poverty and illiteracy are the root causes of corruption in the study area.The present study revealed the majority of the respondents stated that education has a vital role to play in removing corruption.It is found that the majority of the respondents reported that transparency is needed for removing corruption and right activities.The present study concentrates on various corporate characteristics that can be examined within due diligence assessment to reduce corruption riskssuch as age, financial data (such as extreme profitability), ownership, and management structure.Other factors include firm reputation, effectiveness of risk control systems, and application of anti-bribery regulations.This research represents that wages and corruption have an indirect and sometimes direct relationship.More number of the respondents reported that higher wages for bureaucrats' corruption activities were increased in the study area.
The present society leaders are not having any moral and ethical values in their day to day functioning with the people.As population is one the increasing trend, which added more fuel to the problems of population and poverty.The Government machinery dealing with corruption charges is not equipped with qualified and dedicated people.They are engaging in unlawful relationships with the corrupted people and putting their own interests ahead of those of others, rather than working for the greater good.The contemporary era rules and regulations are cumbersome in nature and dealing with the corrupt people, almost a herculean task.A reasonable pay, especially at the lower level, should ensure a good standard of living.This will make them stand away from corrupt practices.As required by the law, the general public is having a tough time dealing with corrupt individuals.The corruption issue that the nation and the Chennai State in particular are currently confronting will be lessened through the usage of technology.

Suggestions: (Field data from the survey)
• Good administration needs for all government level and appointing talented officers.
• Education • Increase technology • The legislative to make strict laws to eradicate corruption.
• To create awareness about corruption so that people feel free to bring out the issue in light.• • All officials, bureaucrats and the public should be transparent with their work and to take sufficient time for finishing work so they don't make hurry.• May the central and state governments follow the rules and regulations strictly and impose severe punishments on those who committed malpractice.• Prohibition of black money circulations in surrounding areas.
• Creating awareness to eradicate corruption through counsel cell and the government should take necessary action.• Government should make sure whether a particular work is done within the esteemed period.If properly done, corruption can't prevail in our society unless and until people change their thoughts to wait until their turn is coming and should never think of to poke others to make their work done at first place.• Turning back to socialism or even better a communist revolution.Until there is capitalist democracy, there will be corruption.• There is no way you can stop corruption unless the people change themselves.In reality the person who needs to prevent corruption in the nation itself engages in it.• The citizens should support anti -corruption more strongly.In the past, the perception was that a citizen would have to bribe a public servant if he wanted to get a benefit, which was illegal.However, in the modern world, even when the legal conditions are met, the residents still need to bribe the public official.• Family attachment is an important cause of corruption.A family member feels that he should earn enough not only for himself and his life but also for his children and grandchildren and perhaps seven generations.So they require an enormous accumulation of wealth.In this situation, a strong youth movement in the country can help reduce corruption from the family level.Each youngster should swear to start the exercise bravely with their families.
• Increase in education qualifications and aware of corruption activity and also severe punishments.
• To reduce wages for those who are in higher posts.
• Giving the equal rights of all people and equal salary of law.
• Corruption uproots mainly when people find it difficult to understand the complicated processes involved in any field that is breathtaking to understand and consumes a lot of their time.Many go into the path of corruption to speed up the processes for which they proceed with the method of corruption.More than that the transparency in the ranking of official, people should be made aware of: ➢ What is required?(Basic necessary expenses) at every step ➢ The processes that is the procedures ➢ Ultimately, the transparency in the movement of processes ➢ Thus, only the lack of awareness is the ultimate cause of corruption.

JUDICIAL PRONOUNCEMENTS: (PREVENTION OF CORRUPTION ACT, 1988) • Parkash Singh Badal And Anr vs. State Of Punjab And Ors,(2006)
The Supreme Court ruled in this case that if a public servant received compensation for persuading another public servant to perform or refrain from performing any official act, he would be subject to the provisions of Sections 8 and 9 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.In the same case, the Supreme Court determined that satisfaction might be of any form for sections 8 and 9, indicating that the scope of their applicability was broad.In this instance, the court was investigating the relationship between offences under sections 8 and 9 and section 13 (1) (d) on the one hand.

• Subash Parbat Sonvane vs. State of Gujarat (2002)
Similar to section 7 section 13 (1) (d) has been the focus of extensive litigation.The Supreme Court in this case held that to be found guilty under Section 13 (1) (d), there must be proof that the subject of the investigation, i.e. the person under investigation, obtained something valuable or financially advantageous for himself or another person through dishonest or illegal means, by abusing his position as a public servant, or by obtaining something valuable or financially advantageous for another person without any consideration of the public interest.

• Bhupinder Singh Sikka vs. CBI (2011)
The Delhi High Court in this case found that an employee of an insurance company established by an Act of Parliament was inherently a public servant and that no evidence was necessary in this regard.The Supreme Court's wide definitions may result in unpredictability and confusion in the law.

• AmritLal vs. State of Punjab (2016)
Bribery was addressed in section 7 of the Prevention Corruption Act of 1988.The complainant's evidence about the bribe money demand was not validated due to a lack of verification.The amount of money asked as a bribe was challenged in the complaint.Furthermore, two witnesses who testified in front of whom the contaminated money was seized were not interrogated and were unnecessarily released.The Punjab-Haryana High Court, in this case, determined that the appellant was entitled to the benefit of the doubt and therefore acquitted of the allegation.

• VasantRaoGuhe vs. State of M.P.(2017)
The Supreme Court held in this case that a public official accused of criminal misconduct cannot be expected to explain the absence of evidence to support the claim that he had property or money that was out of proportion to his known sources of income.The bench ruled that the prosecution must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the public servant, either directly or indirectly through another person, had at any point during his employment had pecuniary resources or property that was out of proportion to his known sources of income.If the prosecution fails to prove this burden, the prosecution will only be able to prove criminal misconduct.

CONCLUSION:
2019 will be the year of the general election after that.There are several opportunities for corrupt behavior.People are banding together to kill a person in the name of religion rather than concentrating on the policies and initiatives of the current government.The progress made in the last four years should have been made some sixty years before by the erstwhile rulers of the country.The reason for the progress not made earlier may be attributed to widespread corruption in all spheres in the country.Some sections concentrated on cornering the money for themselves, not minding their fellow citizens' problems and growth prospects.The size and structure of fraud committed, the amount of black money generated, and nepotism practiced shows the extent in which corruption played an indomitable role in the Indian Economy.We should have made appreciable progress in the field of education, agriculture, and industrial and technological, provided we have eliminated the corruption practices in all fields.