The greatest failures of governance in India rarely erupt in headlines. They unfold quietly in banks, post offices, district offices, welfare departments the everyday places where citizens arrive seeking help and leave feeling humiliated, exhausted, or broken. One story captures this collapse with unbearable clarity – a man carrying his sister’s dead body into a bank because officials refused to believe she had passed away. This is not an “incident.” It is a symptom a sign of a system that has forgotten its purpose. A system where officials believe they cannot be questioned, cannot be removed, and are doing a favor by doing their job. This is not public service. This is public harassment.
In recent years, India’s youth have become the unexpected torchbearers of accountability. The nationwide protests following the NEET-UG 2026 paper leak were not just about an exam – they were about dignity. Over 2.27 million aspirants were affected. Guess papers circulated before the exam matched the actual test. Cancellations followed, re-examinations followed, CBI probes followed. And tragically, suicides followed. Students, dismissed as “cockroaches” in a judicial remark, reclaimed the insult and turned it into a symbol of defiance. They demanded accountability not just from officials, but from the political networks suspected of enabling the leak. The scandal revealed a deeper truth: corruption in merit-based systems doesn’t just destroy futures, it destroys faith. It fuels despair, widens inequality and tells young people that hard work is irrelevant in a country where power can rewrite results.
Walk into a government office in India and you often encounter a paradox – employees paid by taxpayers behave as though they are personally financing every service. They sit behind desks like monarchs. They speak in tones that shrink citizens. They treat rights as favors. Banks meant to empower people now resemble fortresses. Post offices meant to connect the last mile now disconnect people from dignity. Social welfare departments meant to protect the vulnerable now make them beg for what is already theirs. The cruelty is rarely physical. It is bureaucratic, psychological and the violence of being ignored. Files go missing, signatures are delayed. Officers are in a meeting. Lunch breaks stretch into half the day. And the citizen who has already spent money on travel, food, and lost wages is told to come tomorrow. This is not inefficiency. This is institutionalized indifference. And it is funded by the taxpayer. Every ignored application has a human story behind it. A widow waiting for her pension is not a file. A farmer waiting for a loan is not a case. A family waiting for a death certificate is not a queue number. A student waiting for a scholarship is not a luxury. These are lives suspended by the whims of people who have forgotten the meaning of public duty. When a man must carry his sister’s body to prove death, the system has already collapsed.
Governance failures do not remain neutral, they spill into society, often deepening communal divides. What is often overlooked is that corruption is not only an administrative failure, it is a social toxin. It does not remain confined to files, desks, and signatures. It seeps into relationships between communities, deepens mistrust, and fractures social harmony. When people see certain groups receiving faster services, quicker approvals, or special treatment because of political patronage or identity, resentment grows. When bribes become the only language the system understands, communities begin to suspect each other of connections or influence. When public resources are diverted, people compete for what little remains and competition becomes hostility. Corruption is not neutral. It creates winners and losers. It creates insiders and outsiders. It creates narratives of favoritism that politicians weaponize. It not only harasses individuals but it divides societies.
The alleged Ram temple donation scandal in Ayodhya is a painful example. In 2026, accusations surfaced of large-scale misappropriation of cash, gold, and offerings meant for the temple. An SIT was formed. Arrests were made. Money trails were probed. But instead of becoming a moment for transparent accountability, it became a political battlefield. Opposition parties accused the ruling dispensation of “chanda chori.” Counter-accusations flew. Communal narratives sharpened. A temple built after decades of national emotion became a site of alleged financial irregularities. And society fractured further not because of faith, but because of failure. Corruption doesn’t just steal money. It steals trust. It steals harmony. It steals the possibility of unity.
The core problem is not isolated misconduct, it is a collusive ecosystem. Politicians control patronage and interference. Officers align for survival. Transfers replace punishment. Cases languish in courts for years. The citizen funds the system, but feels powerless before it. One of the most glaring forms of misuse is corruption in resource allocation and procurement, where officials exploit their positions for personal gain. Scandals have plagued coal and telecom spectrum allocations, the aviation sector, defense procurement, public sector banking, the hosting of the Commonwealth Games and even the switch to ethanol blended fuel. These high profile instances show how senior bureaucrats and politicians systemically collude, misusing discretionary powers to favor private entities. Individual officers have been arrested for siphoning rural development funds, mining bribes, and disproportionate assets.
Lower-level corruption is equally corrosive: bribes for FIRs, extortion by traffic officials, land record manipulation. In one incident, farmers released snakes inside a tax office in Uttar Pradesh to protest repeated bribe demands. Judicial corruption adds another layer of despair. Even impeachment has not deterred misuse. The result is a system where arrogance becomes culture, and accountability becomes myth. The misuse of power by Indian government employees remains a systemic flaw, imposing heavy costs on taxpayers through lost funds, inefficiency, and diminished public services. While reforms and laws exist, their effectiveness depends on political will and cultural shifts. Strengthening transparency, enforcing accountability, and reducing discretionary powers are essential to safeguard taxpayer money and restore faith in governance. Until then, the burden continues to fall on the shoulders of ordinary citizens. True reform demands viewing public servants as accountable employees, not untouchable kings.
Why does this happen? Because the system rewards survival, not service. Job security without accountability. Positions become thrones. No performance metrics. Productivity is not measured. Outcomes are not tracked. Power without empathy. When citizens depend on you, power becomes intoxicating. A culture of gatekeeping and Information is withheld. Processes are complicated. Citizens are made to feel small. Departments stagnate not because people are incapable, but because the system encourages stagnation. Reform is not optional, it’s urgent.
Transparent service timelines are one possible step. Every department must publish clear deadlines for every service. Better accountability mechanisms are another. Delays must trigger automatic escalation – not citizen begging. Performance-linked evaluation need to be a regular and mandatory feature of government service. Promotions and benefits must depend on measurable service outcomes. Citizen-first office designs are a must. Offices must be redesigned to serve people, not intimidate them. Digital grievance systems are easy to implement if there is political will. Complaints must be trackable, time-bound, and independent of the same officials who caused the problem. A government job is not a privilege, it is a responsibility. A promise made to the people. When officials forget this, the entire idea of governance collapses. The man carrying her sister’s body should haunt the conscience of every department. Because no citizen should ever have to carry proof of their pain to be believed.
Employees must be reminded that their salaries and departmental budgets come from the very people they serve. They must be accountable for shifting focus from guarding resources to delivering outcomes. Public service should be reframed as a collective responsibility, not a personal sacrifice. The paradox of government employees behaving as if they spend from their own pockets is not just about economics, it is about power and dignity. By elevating themselves and diminishing beneficiaries, they undermine the very essence of public service. A true transformation requires reimagining governance as a partnership, where employees act as facilitators of collective progress and citizens are treated with the respect and dignity they deserve. Until then, the burden will continue to fall on ordinary citizens. And the promise of democracy will remain unfulfilled.
The author is Founder & Chairperson of ETA, Northeast Women’s Network
