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Corruption,abuse of entrusted authority for personal gain, is a scourage that no society is free of and it holds true of Nepal. Realizing its ill effets ,around 1768 AD, it was referred as the worst crime. Bribe givers/ takers were taken as the worst ciminals of lthe lmation. Corruption as a state crome was bigger problem during the Rana rule from 1851 as then ruler turned state coffers into personal property .Only after the dawn of democracy in 1951, legal provisions and institutions were set up to combat corruption. However,despite being an important government agenda during of the last fifty years and an issue of popular discourse since restoration of democracy in 1990,Corruption has not shown any signs of abating. People actually perceive it to be on the rise despite efforts from all quarters to combat it.
As corruption has remained a major problem in Nepal for a long time, it has been institutionalized to a wider extent in the political , social, administrative and private sectors. In those sectors corruption occurs in the forms of bribes,illegal payments, nepotism, favoritism, negligence of duty, gift, smuggling, contractual irregularities, plitical interference and bureaucratic wrongdoing. Some live-examples of corruption can be seen in:
- Farming/changing policies to make personal gain
- Commission payment for awarding contracts
- Deliberate delays for extorting bribery
- Misappropriation of public funds through forged bills
- Under the table payment for transfer and promotions
- Unauthorized use of misuse of public funds/resources
- Nexus for evasion of income tax
- Encroachment in public properties
- Reduction in customs duty for businessmen's benefit
- Suppressing proof of crime
-Misuse of official privilege
- Influence pedding.
Factors Contributing to increased corruption in Nepal are:
- Weak democracy: dirty politics for power.
- Autocratic regmie: King's unconstitutional and non transparent policy decision.
- Systemic failure: ineffective nationwide corruption control efforts.
- Huge govenment: the more power the state exercises the more corruption
- Institutional quality: vague and tax regulations, less accountability
- Lack of freedom of press: fear of reprisal for reporting
- Low salaries of public servent: inflation
- Lack of competition: state monopoly of services, less economic freedom
- Offshore banking: tax havens across the border
- Protection: pliticial security for corrupt people
- Lack of awareness: approval and acceptance of corruption by the society
- Traditional habits: gift-giving, nepotism, favoritism
- Social status: being judged by wealth, show-off behaviour encouraged.
- Capacity problem: no proper detection, prosecuation and punishment of corruption outside kathmandu.
Almost every aspect of Nepalese life bears negative impact of corruption
- It has endangered effectiveness,integrity and accpetance of the political system and democracy
- It has hindered economic development and caused huge costs in development projects
- It has affected the quality of people's life increased poverty and hindered human development
- It has destroyed efforts ot establish rule of law
- It has made the society unjust and unsound
Despite of the problems related to corruption,there is a strong belief that corruption can checked through "political will" and "Public support" .Many people, who feel corruption is hampering Nepal.
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