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Corruption has been endemic in many developing countries since the end of Colonial rule. We report here on India because there is significant activity occurring in the country to address government corruption, not outwardly prevalent under British rule. India now tops the list of "black money" countries - money that has  been acquired illegally. Some unique approaches are being used to finally change the status quo in India as corruption threatens its long term grown as a nation.

As with the Middle East-Africa "Arab Spring", the USA "Tea Party" and other similar movements, common people have been awakened to incessant and pervasive legal and illegal corruption, power grabbing and out of control special interests government spending throughout the world.

Important recent activity in the headlines in India was that of  "Anna" Kisan Baburao Hazare who was arrested on 16.8.2011 for his threat to starve himself to death if the government didn't do something about corruption. He was released 2 days later and has now gotten some of his demands met when the government agreed to consider the Jan Lokpal Bill (Citizen's Ombudsman Bill). While it is the key element of Anna's struggles, it still has not passed in a form considered comprehensive by Anna and his followers.

Another important effort is the 5th Pillar Zero Rupee program, a non-profit, unique grass roots approach whose base concept was invented by Dr. Satinder Moham Bagat, now a Professor at the University of Maryland, USA. Dr. Bagat was on a trip back home and was constantly hounded for bribes when he had the spark of imagination and created the Zero Rupee. In 2007 his idea was implemented by the 5th Pillar organization, founded and run by Mr.Vijay Anand and his staff.

The Zero Rupee concept is simple, creative and powerful. When a person asks for a bribe for whatever purpose, a worthless Zero Rupee "banknote" is given instead of real currency. When the person requesting the bribe looks at the Zero Rupee and sees that it is backed by the 5th Pillar organization, the recipient often thinks twice about requiring a bribe and drops the idea.  The Zero Rupee is based on the India 50 Rupee note and is printed with Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam text.

In addition to the Zero Rupee program the 5th Pillar organization also promotes wide ranging local anti-corruption activities throughout India, including providing public education about the Rights To Information Act of 2005 (RTI). Its powerful and simple Zero concept is also being considered in Nepal, Mexico and other countries.

In developed countries, like the USA, government corruption takes a more sophisticated form, like "crony capitalism". Wikipedia defines crony capitalism as "a term describing a capitalist economy in which success in business depends on close relationships between business people and government officials. It may be exhibited by favoritism in the distribution of legal permits, government grants, special tax breaks, and so forth." USA convicted lobbyists Jack Abramoff was recently released from prison and is now telling his story of how he influenced government officials for the benefit of his clients. A related area not being addressed is government officials who prosper from insider knowledge and their position in the government.
 
The latest demonstrations against this and "Wall Street" corruption is the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement, started in New York City and now spread throughout the country and world. While this particular group currently lacks focus, common people are particularly motivated against various powerful groups that have "gamed" the system to their advantage and the detriment of working people. Some government officials have aligned themselves with this movement and they will probably have to step back as it now appears to have been hijacked by other elements with violence appearing in some quarters. This movement gained traction and was amplified because of high unemployment and poor financial health of the USA and many developed economies.

If government officials study the lessons of how India is addressing government corruption they will see that a small group of individuals can make a difference. Tunisia and Egypt learned that the hard way. Will other governments heed the warning? This story is far from over - the Occupy movement has become a global collection of groups working toward similar goals under the Occupy name.

Another important organization fighting corruption is Transparency International

Readers with their own local stories are encouraged to write and share them.

SK  We gratefully acknowledge Ms.Shobila Kali, Director of 5th Pillar for providing images and information about this important program.

MB  We gratefully acknowledge Professor Mohan Bagat for creating this unique concept of the Zero Rupee.

VA   We gratefully acknowledge Mr.Vijay Anand and his staff for their courageous work on anti-corruption in India.