India, Nov. 7 -- Corruption in public life is generally associated with greed, dishonesty and the failure of individual character. But what happens when the system itself creates conditions that make honest living increasingly difficult? Bechaara Babu raises this uncomfortable question through an examination of government policies and their consequences for India's bureaucracy over nearly eight decades.

Written by a retired senior Indian Railways officer, the book combines personal experiences with an analysis of successive Pay Commissions. Its central argument is that the steady erosion of government employees' purchasing power contributed significantly to the growth of corruption within institutions expected to uphold public trust.

Th...