Corruption in India

It is commonly-held view that India is backward because it is corrupt. People routinely blame all ills on corruption in India. Is that really the case ?
There is no doubt India ranks low among the listings for both- the Human Development Index and the Transparency International ranking for corruption. But the association does not necessarily imply causality. Indians are both critics and willing participants of corrupt practises.
That does not explain Indias grinding poverty and backwardness. That is more attributable to Social ills such as caste, sexual and other discrimination. If people do not see each other as social equals , they will be reluctant to enter into egalitarian economic transactions. It is the lack of discrimination that results in sweepers and attendants in developed countries earning more than executives in India.
The more people interact with each other , the more they understand each other. More more they understand each other, the stronger is the society. Discrimination may yield some social benefits to its practitioner, but it weakens society and ensures that everyone loses in the end. The discriminator is always discriminated against by someone else. No group in India seems to think it is privileged.
Its time we dropeed labels such as vaishnav, bramhin, bania, woman, man, punjabi, tamil, gora, kaala, muslim , hindu, poor, graduate, etc.. and looked upon everyone as just the same as ourselves. There is not too much to be gained by taking these labels very seriously. The egalitarian system is the most sensible - both for society and for the individual.