ZERO-RUPEE NOTE
A Non-Violent Weapon of Non-Cooperation Against Corruption
Have you heard of the ZERO-RUPEE NOTE, yet? Many of
you may wonder what the use of it is. Well, All Indians face Corruption in
almost all public and government offices.
Corruption in India is a major issue that adversely affects its economy. In
2014 India ranked 85th out of 175 countries in Transparency
International's Corruption Perceptions Index, compared to its
neighbors Bhutan (30th), Bangladesh (145th), Myanmar (156th), China (100th),
Nepal (126th), Pakistan (126th) and Sri Lanka (85th).
ZERO-RUPEE NOTE is designed
to fight against corruption in an innovative way. Yes, a zero rupee note is a type of novel & innovative
money issued in India as a means of helping to fight
systemic political corruption. The
notes are paid in protest by angry citizens to government functionaries who solicit bribes in return for services which are
supposed to be free.
The
Zero Rupee Note(ZRN) is a simple currency-like looking tool designed to resemble
the Rupee Fifty currency in India, but made larger than the Rupee Thousand
note, with an Anti-bribery Pledge replacing the Reserve Bank Governor's
pledge of the actual money's tender. The front of the ZRN has "I
PROMISE TO NEITHER ACCEPT NOR GIVE BRIBE" printed on the front bottom
center. The organization's contact info and an anti-bribery appeal ("If
anyone demands a bribe, give this note and report the case") is also
printed on the ZRN. The moment a corrupt government employee receives the note,
he or she is shaken up a bit and immediately responds to the situation in a
friendly and helpful manner simply to avoid getting into the bribe-radar and
therefore the ZRN proves to be a simple, strong and effective "Non-violent
weapon of Non-cooperation" giving voice to the "voiceless" and
power to the "powerless".
SIGNING A CONTRACT WITH MY COUNTRY: Students and the public were urged to sign
on huge Zero Rupee Note banners of 30 ft in length and 15 ft in height which
were carried to more than 1200 schools, colleges and public meetings in the
last 5 years, thereby obtaining more than 5 lakh signatures from citizens as a
mark of endorsement to their „Zero corruption‟ pledge that “I will neither
receive nor give bribe” which is printed on the bottom of the front side of the
Zero Rupee Note.
Distribution: The Zero rupee note, is the mascot or primary campaign tool of a non-governmental organization known as 5th Pillar. Zero Rupee Notes were distributed by 5th Pillar volunteers in
railway stations, bus stations, market places to raise awareness about bribery
and reminding the public of their rights and alternative solutions that are
otherwise available. Information desks were set up at the entrance of marriage
halls during wedding ceremonies, birthday parties and social gatherings and
Zero Rupee notes are distributed and information booklets and pamphlets were
distributed. They have distributed over 2.5 million pieces as of Aug 2014, since
their inception in 2007. The notes remain in current use and thousands of notes
are distributed every month.
Number of factors contributes to the success
of the Zero Rupee Notes in fighting corruption in India. First, bribery is a
crime in India punishable with suspension and jail time. Corrupt officials
seldom encounter resistance by ordinary people that they become scared when
people have the courage to show their Zero Rupee Notes, effectively making a
strong statement condemning bribery. In addition, officials want to keep their
jobs and are fearful about setting off disciplinary proceedings, not to mention
risking going to jail. I believe that the success of the notes lies in the
willingness of the people to use them. People are willing to stand up against
the practice that has become so commonplace because they are no longer afraid:
first, they have nothing to lose, and secondly, they know that this initiative
is being backed up by an organization--that is, they are not alone in this
fight.
Incidentally,
India is the origin of an explicit symbol denoting zero.
Zero rupee notes have been issued in five of the 22 scheduled languages of India: Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, and Telugu.
To know
more about zero currencies of various countries who adopted the concept for
overcoming corruption, check zerocurrency.org/
