Thursday, February 27, 2014

First Hand Encounter with Corruption

We read of corruption in poor nations and how it eats away at the fabric of a nation. Rich nations can afford the many checks and balances from judiciary, government to the police.
With 58% of Indians on the breadline this is a luxury India can ill afford, though it has all the laws it needs, corruption is rampant from the nations leaders in government down to the lawyer on the street. To then came across it in an unusual quarter at first hand was shocking. I love Indian history so a visit to a renowned ancient manuscript museum in India lead to an unexpected meeting with its academic and curator. I told him all the documents should go online and he concurred. I offered to donate basic IT items missing from the museum an internet connection, a computer and a scanner. I can't even get a simple desk he replied, and said money was not an issue. It turnout the institution has had many grants made to it, using his name, by the government's cultural ministry, but the trustees of the institution pocket the money. His employment allowed grant applications to be made, yet he was he was not the beneficiary, and was thinking of resigning in frustration, with nobody to turn to. I was dumb founded at his story  which he asked to be kept anonymous, as he had a child going through college. He was very glad to meet me at such a low point in his career and made suggestions for ways to help him out of his predicament. BJP'S PM candidate has touched on this very topic, that of governance and black money. There is enormous waste of potential, talent and money which is waiting to be unleashed with the right government in India.m

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