India has a rank of 85 among 180 countries in the corruption index. Corruption is a major impediment in the proper implementation of policies. According to
Freedom House, office bearers are not prosecuted effectively and often slip through political, legal and procedural loopholes. Transparency International’s Global Corruption Barometer (Asia) 2020 revealed that India has the highest overall bribery rate and highest rate of people using their personal connections. 50% of the respondents stated that they had been asked to pay bribe to access certain services. 36% of the people felt that without using their personal connections, it would
not have been possible to access that service.
Corruption and lack of transparency is a structural problem in the Indian administrative system. Red tapism and bureaucratic delays frustrate those who want access to certain government services. This is the principle factor that leads them to engage in acts of corruption. Corruption is also embedded in the Indian mindset when juxtaposed with the concept of ‘jugaad’ or getting things done through goal oriented improvisation. In order to check corruption in public institutions, the Lokpal Act was introduced.
In 2013, the Indian Parliament approved the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, also referred to as The Lokpal Act. A bill intended to fight corruption. On January 1, 2014, the Bill was notified along with The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, and gained the Honorable
President's assent. After being notified, the Act went into effect on January 16, 2014, and has subsequently undergone one amendment. It is an anticorruption law that aims to authorize the establishment of the Lokpal institution to examine allegations of corruption against specific public servants in India. Following Anna Hazare's Jan Lokpal movement in 2010, the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act was amended in parliament and approved in 2013.
The concept of ombudsman was introduced in Sweden more than two centuries ago. The primary aim of this institution was to mitigate the threat to an individual’s
rights as a result of corruption in any public office. The function of this officer was also extended to include supervision of general administration in the Scandivanian countries.
The first Lokpal Bill was presented to Parliament in 1968, but it expired when the Lok Sabha was dissolved. Subsequent Bills have seen a similar end. Although the
Lokpal could not be established as a national institution, the attention it created resulted in the passing of numerous state laws. In 1972, Maharashtra was the
initial state to establish a Lokayukta. At the moment, more than 50% of the states have lokayuktas, although the scope of their authority and, consequently, how they
operate differ greatly from state to state. The two pillars of the current institutional structure are the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)The effectiveness of the present method has been questioned. The CBI has been referred to as a ‘caged parrot’ by the apex court because of the influence exercised over it by the central government.
References
(n.d.). LOKPAL. Retrieved March 29, 2023, from
https://www.lokpal.gov.in/
The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill, 2011. (n.d.). PRS. Retrieved March 29,
2023, from https://prsindia.org/billtrack/the-lokpal-and-lokayuktas-
bill-2011
A look at Anna Hazare's protests throughout the years. (2019, January 30).
The Indian Express. Retrieved March 29, 2023, from
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/anna-hazare-lokpal-bill-
protest-supreme-court-5548932/
Vipra, T. (2022, December 6). Lokpal - A 'toothless' tiger? PRS. Retrieved
March 29, 2023, from https://prsindia.org/theprsblog/lokpal-a-
toothless-tiger
What is Lokpal? (2022, June 10). GeeksforGeeks. Retrieved March 29,
2023, from https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/what-is-lokpal/
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