Corruption is a phenomenon that takes place due to the presence of a number of factors. An understanding of such factors requires, among other things, a kind of general framework for a clearer understanding of the causes of corruption, especially from a broader perspective. Genesis of corruption can be explained by looking at three levels - international, national and individual institutional levels. India is fast learning that corruption is one of the major impediments to effective development. The greater openness that democracy has brought since 1947, offers new opportunities to deal with the problem of corruption in the context of the country s new constitutional values. But it also brings into sharper focus the constraints posed by corruption, past and present, for development.