Corruption in Public Life - IE - 14/01/23

Context:
The CBI has registered an FIR against former finance secretary Arvind Mayaram for alleged cheating, criminal conspiracy, and corruption.
Previously, Jharkhand IAS officer Pooja Singhal was suspended for misappropriation of funds in MGNREGA
Relevance:
GS4
About:
Case agains Mayaram:
He is accused of extending undue favours to the UK-based company De La Rue by giving a three-year extension to its “expired contract” for the supply of exclusive colour shift security thread for Indian currency notes when he was finance secretary.

-Corruption: Corruption refers to unethical behaviour, which is characterized by misuse of public or organizational power, causing harm not only to organizations but also to society.

->The Wheel of corruption:
In India, corruption, and abuse of office are aggravated by the following factors:
i. The colonial legacy of unchallenged authority, the propensity to exercise power arbitrarily – easy to deviate from ethical conduct
ii. Enormous asymmetry of power – eco, social inequalities, caste legacy, 90% workforce in unorganized sector
iii. Policies after independence– e.g. State subsidies, and beneficiary-oriented programmes in the situation of asymmetry of power converted public servants into patrons, citizens into mendicant
iv. Over-centralization increases corruption – a large number of functionaries b/w citizens and decision-makers diffuses accountability
v. Quality of politics – criminal-politician nexus

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