Corruption in Nepal: Impact on development

 

   Nepal is one of the beautiful countries which lies in the southern part of Asia Continent. Nepal is rich in cultural heritage with a diverse population. Being the richest country in its cultural heritage, Nepal is still a developing country where corruption takes place. Nepal has been struggling with development due to the impact of corruption.  Corruption has been one of the major problems of Nepal and has been challenging for development all over the country. It has been a major obstacle to economic growth, social development, etc.

   Corruption is defined as the misuse of power/post that is assigned to them. Mainly, corruption is used for personal benefits which include the collection of public funds, and the budget announced by the government. It can take different forms regarding the development of the country i.e. bribery, nepotism, etc. It has a negative impact on societies and economics. It occurs in both the private and public sectors.

   According to the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) of 2022, Nepal is ranked 110^th among the 180 countries in the index on a scale of 0-180 Nepal scored 34 which makes Nepal a corrupt country. This also indicates that corruption has been one of the major problems of Nepal and it is getting worse day by day. For a decade or several years, the rate of corruption has been increasing compared to their past rate. The problem of corruption has been rising at a high rate which has been the central problem of the country that has a negative impact on development. It has been a long-term problem regarding development and progress.

   One of the major reasons Nepal is a corrupt country is due to the weak legal justice which is one of the important for fighting against corruption. Corruption lies between the people of this country. Mainly, people of high posts/parties involved in bribery for their personal benefits. Being the people of this country, we also have been affected by the corruption. Because of the weak government policy and anti-corruption laws, corrupt people groups have been walking freely or going unpunished. Many corrupt groups have a connection to the high parties which protect them from the law.

   Corruption affects the entire sector of the country. It undermines public trust in government institutes and reduces the quality of the public sector. Some of the sector that has been impact due to the corruption is listed below:

·       Education sector

  On top of every sector, corruption in education has been the main problem in the development of the country. Due to corruption, many Nepali schools are in lack resources, study materials, shortage of well-trained teachers. Corrupted people have been taking away the funds away from the education sector and allowing people who are uneducated to teach post which affects the education system of Nepal. It reduces access to quality education. It also decreases the trust in educational institutions which increases the rate of illiterate.

·       Political instability

Corruptions in the political sector reduce the trust of people in government institutions which leads to dissatisfaction with the public wishes. In the election process, bribery takes place like (giving people money to vote in their parties).

·       Business sector

The effect of corruption in the business sector has also been a major problem in the development of a country. Many business people in Nepal suffer from a lack of access to the required resources or access to the credit which leads to the closing of their business. Corruption has made business difficult in the context of Nepal. Due to the low access to credit, business companies are forced to shake hands with corrupt people. A high level of corruption also decreases the rate of foreign investment in a particular sector.

·       Cultural heritage losses

Corruption leads to the destruction of cultural heritage sites by removing them from their places with the help of high post power. It also leads to the improper management of the cultural places which leads to loss of value of those specific places. Because of the improper management, it doesn't attract tourists.