If one one is writing on the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17), corruption is an odd issue to pick. After all, Planning Commission is not perceived as an organization that has done a great deal of work on corruption. However, corruption is an important and topical issue. A Google search on Planning Commission’s website shows there are several hundred studies (341 to be precise) that have referred to bribery and corruption. The Approach Paper to the Twelfth Five Year Plan has just been finalized and there is acknowledgement there too. That acknowledgement requires a longish quote. The Approach Paper states, “Poor governance leads to corruption, both petty and large, both of which corrode the moral fabric of the society. Large scale corruption occurs either because of mishandling of government contracts, or because discretionary decision making in some areas is used to the advantage of some. Corruption undermines the legitimacy of the system in Pressthe eyes of the public and reduces potential for achieving efficiency through competition. Corruption surfaces in many forms, all of which erode the confidence of the citizen in the quality of governance.