13. Corruption and Democratic Governance in India

Since its independence from Britain in 1947, India has faced substantial problems of corruption, which impeded its economic, social, and political development (Ganesan 1997). A culture of corruption has always existed in India. In various historical periods, the national and state governments in India launched programs to combat corruption, but these efforts were seldom successful. Corruption is still a part of the routine in politics, business, and governance. However, in recent years, public knowledge and awareness about corruption has also increased. This increased awareness was evident in the uprising against corruption in India in October 2010. In October 2010, an umbrella organization for several civil society organizations launched “India Against Corruption” movement. The leaders of this movement demanded from government to pass the Jan Lokpal Bill. The Jan Lokpal Bill is one of the longest pending bills in the history of India that was not passed into law at the time of the writing of this paper.