The Scandal of India's Government

               In America, all sectors of businesses and economies are able to flourish due to an open market and laws that are enforced to protect fair business practices and a competitive economy. Knowing a government official won’t normally result in any one person being able to obtain a large section of our nations precious resources because the government has so many procedures in place preventing any one person from having enough power to make such a significant impact. The same cannot be said for India’s government. With politicians that are so easily faltered by bribes to make the own fortunes, promises to the nations people cannot be carried through.

                A connection with Vija Darda, a Member of Parliament, led to Manoj Jayaswal’s acquisition of undeveloped coal fields. With almost all their donations coming from sectors of the economy involving mining, power, and all those involved in natural resources, Politicians have come to be known for their “venal” behaviors and willingness to work with members of society involved in this area. This acquisition gave Mr. Jayaswal a competitive advantage in the business of coal mining. He quickly became wealthy and in this way, Mr. Darda was able to reap benefits as well. While it is clearly unethical to hand over such precious resources to your friends with no concern for those willing to fight fairly for that right, Mr. Jayaswal may see it morally as a way to help his economy by making a profit and increasing his country’s power source. By making his connections with political figures and contributing to India’s growth, he feels he was justified in his start in the coal mining business.

                While attempts are being made to help the faltering economy, this will not fix the problems that still exist by any means. What India needs is a solid governmental party that can be trusted to represent them and do right by the country as a whole. Good leaders in any business will look at the needs of the company over their own personal desires. This ethical principle holds just as much, if not more in a governmental environment. Trust and faith in the government is detriment to its success. The need for a fair economy and fair competition needs to take priority for these politicians over the temptations of bribes that are selfish and only benefit a select few and hurting the general public.

                India’s leaders pledged to bring power to every corner of the country and part of this pledge involved expanding coal-fired power plants. India can never expect to solve the country’s problems if they cannot keep promises because they are “too busy” getting involved with unethical and immoral business activities. 300 million people are without electricity in India and the numbers will just continue to get worse as scandals continue.

                While it is not easy to completely change how a company, or in this case the government runs, I believe it is possible to make the necessary changes. These changes however, will require the cooperation of all members of the government. Rules must be made and enforced. Procedures must be followed and figures that represent the government must be held accountable for their actions. All must be expected to make decisions with the interest of society as the main priority. Members who are likely to fall for bribery attempts must be eliminated and faith must be restored amongst the people of India.