Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbatt!ihnp4!qantel!lll-lcc!lll-crg!seismo!rochester!pt.cs.cmu.edu!cive.ri.cmu.edu!jsingh
From: jsingh@cive.ri.cmu.edu (J S Singh)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.indian
Subject: Corruption in India
Message-ID: <1007@cive.ri.cmu.edu>
Date: Sat, 27-Sep-86 14:49:37 EDT
Article-I.D.: cive.1007
Posted: Sat Sep 27 14:49:37 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 30-Sep-86 06:20:04 EDT
Distribution: net
Organization: Carnegie-Mellon University, CS/RI
Lines: 34

I agree with Mahesh Chari that corruption (and topics such as these)
are worth talking about in this forum.  The basic problem with Indians
in general is reflected in opposition to Mahesh's original post.
As a country we spend far too much time thinking about what we should
be doing, what we should be talking about, and who should be doing what.
If you don't like the discussion about corruption then don't stand
in the way of others who want to do so.

Similarily, I think that problems like corruption and dowry are the
result of people sticking their noses where they don't belong.
Social regulations are not too far removed from government regulations.
How much difference is there when the government says you will buy so
much steel from this company and when society demands that so much gold
is acceptable in a dowry?

My basic premise is that as a culture, we should stop telling people
how to go about living their lives and conducting their business.
This amounts to personal space on a micro level and massive deregulation
on a macro level.  Stop looking at the central government, as the provider.
Lets us all go do it on our own.

Corruption exists because a few people are in control of power and 
resources.  Allow free competition and now I can go to Dealer B if Dealer
A is corrupt.  Distribute power so that people can self govern (I have
been maintaining that local governements should be given greater powers
so that they can take pride in their own efforts).

We all know how deep rooted corruption is.  What we must realize is that it
won't go away by anti-corruption task forces or committees that produce
1000 page reports.  It won't go away with imposition of fines and 
of jail senteces.  To get rid of corruption, we must strike at the
root of it all - the socioeconomic trap that India is in.

Sanjiv