Imagine going to a government office to get some work done. The “babu” there refuses to sign on your file until you give him some “chai-paani”. What will you do in such a case?

CHENNAI, INDIA– Senthil Ramalingam was chatting on his cellphone as he cruised through the streets of this southern Indian city when he saw something that depresses drivers everywhere: flashing police car lights in his rear-view mirror.

Corruption is a huge problem is India – Trust me, even if we are able to bring down the corruption even by 50%, it will skyrocket India’s GDP. More than 90% of all government transactions are fraught with corruption either directly or indirectly (This figure I came across last year in some survey, unable to find the link).

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“Corruption starts right before birth until death for an Indian citizen,” Vijay Anand, the President anti-corruption organization of Fifth Pillar told PRI’s “Here and Now.” Parents have to pay bribes to learn the sex of their children. People have to pay bribes to go to school, to start a business and to pay taxes. Once a person dies, the family has to pay a bribe to get the death certificate. “So for a single Indian citizen,” Anand said, “it does not stop even after death.”