Shame the corrupt with Rs 0!

Mumbaikars can cash in on anti-graft currency from next month

The next time a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation clerk demands a bribe to issue that clearance certificate, grease his palm with currency that will seem like a kick in the back. Fifth Pillar India,a Chennai based organisation that battles corruption, will release 1 lakh notes of "zero denomination" in Mumbai next month.
The Rs0 note is similar to Rs1000 note, complete with bust of Mahatma Gandhi. The seal on the bill says,"This is not a currency note."
The Reserve Bank of India legend gives way to the slogan,'Eliminate corruption at all levels'. The Rs0 note also includes a stirring resolve: "I promise neither to accept nor to give bribe".
The movement called "Freedom from Corruption" launched in all 30 districts of Tamil Nadu early this month, will make its Mumbai debut in the city's schools and colleges. "It is an effort to empower every citizen to fight corruption," said M Vijayanand, the president of Fifth Pillar India.
Will it really make a difference? Vijayanand,a software engineer based in the US who spends seven months each year in India, said the initial response has been encouraging.
"I tried it with some customs officers at Mumbai airport," he said. "They were delaying my baggage and demanding a bribe. When I gave them Rs0, they smiled and let me go."
A 70-year-old Chennai woman who had spent six years trying to secure land patta document from municipal authorities is one of the beneficiaries. "She collected the currency from us," Vijayanand said. "She gave the note to the municipality officers and received the document in 30 minutes."