Although the notion of corruption has many interpretations, Anticorruption Movement India is mainly concerned with public corruption : we define corrupt people as civil servants or elected representatives of the people who distort the institutions in order to take illegal advantage, for themselves or their relatives, of their functions or social status by cheating the society and the country. Corruption is not a country-specific problem. All the countries in the world suffer from various degrees of corruption, and are trying to control it through their own means. In developed countries, the incidence of corruption is minimal, whereas in developing countries its effect is widespread.

Countries such as India are suffering acutely from this problem. Indeed, corruption diverts resources that were intended for infrastructure and social welfare : if we ignore such a critical issue, all our developmental efforts will be halted, and except for a small group of opportunists, the country as a whole will suffer. Not only does corruption invite poverty, but it also spreads anarchy in politics, which endangers democracy and even the security of the people.

Faith, integrity and morality are the pillars of good society. They are the founding principles of the values and traditions that enable a society to progress. On the other hand, corruption is the doing of immoral, unfaithful people ; if allowed to extend, it poisons the whole society, encouraging immoral behaviour and eventually causing a confidence crisis. Hence, as corruption deteriorates the basic principles for good society, it is a big hurdle to overcome.

In many respects, corruption can be considered a product of the twentieth century. Though it existed before, its impact on society has never been as wide as in the last few decades. Its main victims are the developing countries. The infection is deep-rooted, and sadly it is far from easy to remedy this situation. Lately, levels of corruption in India have been increasing rather than improving due to the shortsightedness of the previous generation. Not so long ago, corruption could have been easily controlled through simpler rules and regulations, but now it has become so institutionalized it precisely expands by manipulating the existing legislation. As a consequence, it has become necessary for ordinary citizens to think of ways to eradicate corruption by themselves.

At present, corruption is our Republic's main enemy. We need to defeat it in order to preserve the democratic regime the indian people brought about a few years ago with many sacrifices. If we are successful curbing corruption, a lot of countries could benefit from our exemplary work and follow suit.

Corruption's distinguishing features :

As discussed above, corruption is democratic and economic progress' greatest foe. Furthermore, it drags society down the path of immorality. As it corrodes the political, economic and democratic environment, it is one of the country's most dangerous enemies. Despite its numerous ill-effects, corruption is very hard to detect : in general, it doesn't leave evidence like other crimes – as an illegal transaction of wealth and/or power, it is not easily traceable.

Corruption has the effect of a powerful magnet which is capable to attract anyone, anytime. Due to its direct relation with money, it has become powerful. When people in decision-making positions lack self-restraint, good manners and morality are kept on the sideline. They accumulate wealth trying to present it as their wife's dowry or their own inheritance. Persons in power but also their entourage accumulate illegal wealth and try to hide it. However, wealth can't be concealed. Hence, corruption shows in the face of criminals, and can be detected by the change in their living standards