It’s the 10th day of “Team Anna’s” fast against corruption today. Corruption in India is a major issue and adversely affects its economy. Notable figures like Anna Hazare, Arvind Kejriwal among several other hundred thousand of common men in India are in movement against corruption and scams.

In 2011 India was ranked 95th out of 178 countries in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index. The causes of corruption in India include excessive regulations, complicated taxes and licensing systems, numerous government departments each with opaque bureaucracy and discretionary powers, monopoly by government controlled institutions on certain goods and services delivery, and the lack of transparent laws and processes.

While there are certain loose laws to punish those who ask for bribes, they are not always enough, or effective for that matter. Unless we the people do something about it, nothing ever will happen. If we pay a bribe, the other person will take it. If we don’t, we do our part for the good.

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Here’s some ways for you to do your part, using just the Internet. I list below 4 websites that will help you report incidents of corruption or take action against it.

India Against Corruption

India Against Corruption (IAC) is a citizen’s movement to demand strong anti-corruption laws. The primary focus of IAC movement is to ensure a strong Lokpal bill. The IAC is a strictly voluntary organization and its participants are bound by the IAC code of conduct. The movement is backed by Anna Hazare, Arvind Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi, Prashant Bhushan etc.

I Paid a Bribe

ipaidabribe.com is a unique initiative to tackle corruption by harnessing the collective energy of citizens. You can report on the nature, number, pattern, types, location, frequency and values of actual corrupt acts on this website. Your reports will, perhaps for the first time, provide a snapshot of bribes occurring across your city. The site does not ask for your name or phone details.

Zero rupee note

The Zero rupee note is a tool to help you achieve the goal of zero corruption. The note is a way for any human being to say NO to corruption without the fear of facing an encounter with persons in authority.

Next time someone asks you for a bribe, just take your Zero rupee note and hand it to them. This will let the other person know that you refuse to give or take any money in order to perform services required by law or to give or take money to do something illegal.

Jaagore! – Soch Badlo

From November 2011, Tata Tea and Jaago Re have launched ‘Soch Badlo’. This is an initiative based on the premise that positivity begets positivity, ie. one positive thought or act can inspire a million others. The ultimate aim is to encourage people to share and spread positivity thereby making India contagiously positive.