Greasing Palms -- Surviving Through Corruption in India

Whether it involves getting a driver`s license, getting your address verified by the police for a passport, registering a property, getting an income tax PAN card, settling an income or sales tax dispute, getting a ration card, getting a ``migration certificate`` if you join a university in a different state from where you did your schooling, getting cargo cleared through customs (even when you are prepared to pay customs duty) etc, etc, etc in India, nothing happens without paying some bribe or the other. Fortunately, there are NGOs that do some very good work to fight this menace - some years ago before I left India to work outside, one such NGO helped with filing tax returns at the Income Tax office in Chennai. The group had yound lawyers and CAs who stood on the pavement outside the Numgambakkam office in the crazy Chennai weather smilingly helping everyone who went to them. The sad thing is that despite their being there and putting in this hard work for nothing, there were some who chose to go in by themselves, invariably paying baksheesh to the goondas in service inside.

Corruption seems to be something endemic in South Asia as a whole..one would imagine that India with it`s large bloated public sector and socialist legacy it is surprising that it`s not at an even larger scale! I think the key differences between corruption in india and Pakistan or Bangladesh for that matter is the institutional view of it..because of weaker institutional strength in Pakistan and India there are greater discretionary powers in the hands of individuals..that is a recipe for disaster..

One would hope that with deregulation and a smaller public sector corruption avenues automaticallly decrease..but I don`t see that as happening till there are major increases in spending on the judicial and legal systems.

My own experiences have been a few..one in particular was having to sort out a property tax issue..and the endless running around to get the amount correctly reassessed ..when finally the man we were dealing with ..said..you see everyones in this office..they are all bribing the collectors..all you are doing is making things worse for yourself by trying to do things the right way..

In Pakistan we grease our palms for some other purpose too.

A nice article. What worries me really is : The judicial system is itself corrupt. Any experiences?

Pakistan is so corrupt as well, But I would love to pay Indians as atleast they ask it politely and not like these GHUNDAS we have in Police. In 1982 we four friends went to India and remember very well the PAINDOOS @ lahore station giving us hell of a time ( we were Pakistanis and muslim, nobody gave it a thought ) but do remember the kindness of a Sardarji atAttari Railway Station in India, offered us glasses of cold water for FREE. It was the month of April and sun was acting like Pai ......s.

Very good, nabendu! Now finish off your milky-wilky and go off to sleep, OK?