The evolution of corruption in a society and remedy!

Humans are weak. Very exceptional humans very rare who can resist the seduction of money or woman.

Power at at any level tends to seek some undue favour. Thinking vigilance would control, is puerile. We cannot forget the stock, manning vigilance, is not from Mars.

The leaders at top need to garner funds to put up the political shows and appear to be doing some thing for people. While very top leasers could be very clean, it is statistically difficult to get same kind of persons as team. So part of personal gains get built in. It is only a matter of how the payback is organised.

Do work, once done, take payment. That used to be good old days of very honest and trusting on both sides of the table.

The reed being not too much, the project cost could comfortably be absorbed within affordable inflation rate. Inlfation rate does depend on  unproductive cash flows.

So others enjoying different dgrees of power, too could manage their lifestyle mostly eithr within salary paid by government or company, with only excessively greedy ones beoming corrupt. Thosw who want to live honestly could live so and vigilance department could get good honest to man. SO generally society lived with general perception of clean governance and good leaders.

Projects got executed and benefits accrued to people and hence value of currency and purchasing power generally preserved.

Yuga changes every 10 years in  democracy? May be 10 or 5 yrs!

Slowly populations rise, the wants whipped up and political class has new generation wanting to accelerate their own welath gain.

 So, follows time when token down payments in advance taken, job done and rest got collected instages or once work is completed to satisfaction. That is second stage.

Well, still works are getting done, though increasingly at higher costs. .

Then third yuga starts: the upfront down payment increase to substantial percentage  of project , but still work delivered, and balance collected.

Project cost over run and time over run becomes buzz words

The mix of honest and corrupt players down below at lower rungs too get modified to increase those who beleieve, they need to have additional source of income to keep up the rising cost of living and salaries not keeping pace.

Fourth yuga starts.

Government finds it does not have enough funds to finance capital expenditure for projects. So innovation of public-private particiaption evolves. Instead of cash, in kind public assets are handed over to private players to finance the project.

The upfront payment rises to 100% of project cost, so almost all projects are capitalised to cost double or triple even. Now since no further payment is due on completion , govt no more bothered whether the project executed or not. But initially the projects do get completed and the model allows the cashflows arising from project sustain and government even tries to help by guranteeing to grant subsidy from revenue funds.

But this model too gets unworkable and financially unsustainable, when upfront payment rises much beyond 200% of project cost, and the ransfer of public assets, gets bogged down in some public litigations etc.

The promoter having funded from a national bank the cost , takes away his profit too without completing the project , moves on to another bidding game. The accumulated NPA of nationalised banks, get capital infusion to save day , from Finance Ministry! All happy!

But we do not have any ground result ! Who cares?

Further lack of completed projects, drops jobs availability and so political class tries to create vote banks through unproductive distribution of cash or goods on election eve, to get back to power.

The unproductive cahflows of such high order necessarily adversely affects value of currency and inflation rate climbs.

Those with lower rungs clamour for higher salaries, apart from increased levels of seeking second income. Corruption becomes a routine activity. Even checks and balances built in to system gradually get compromised.

In any government , thus , corruption has it's fountain head at top of government!

Now honesty is a relative term!

So some keep to yuga one or two but will always see that projects are delivered for survival. Generally parties which rule states only with no hold on center ll try to operate in the first or second yuga stage, These parties will get relected being relatively honest in perseption, when those having control over Finance Minstry in center who get slipped in to fourth yuga stage!

How do we have a solution to reform this system?

Any checking measure like Act or prosecution is still under the control of the party ruling.

With corrupt at top all systems under them lose sanctity and effectiveness. The law and order situation too deteriorates.

Best way is to introduce wider awareness and transprency in govt decision. For this one should insist that secrecy  of govt file and order while dealing with pblic assets and projets should
be denied.

That means for election to rule us, we should insist that the party should have policy of sharing the file and the draft order with us, common citizens, too before finalising the order. That will deny granting of undue favours to any one , which is generator of corrupti money.

Today technology makes it simple and practical.

Take images of pages of order file with justification for the proposed draft order, post them on web for feed back of people. This can be comments on web, or debate in media. Such exposure denies unfair secretive granting of favours.

Even judicial interventions can take place, in case wantonly  some one tries to bully through, before benefit can be taken.

The government power at top becomes useless for corrupt minded.

Wish intellectuals in a nation think over and try for this simpe reform in governance to save their nation.



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