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Corruption in India is perceived to have worsened over the past year, according to a new study released by Transparency International, a Berlin-based anticorruption group.
On Transparency Internationals latest corruption perception index, India scored 3.1 on a scale from zero to 10, where anything below five is bad news. Its not a good score at all for India, Rukshana Nanayakkara, acting director of Transparency Internationals Asia Pacific division, said in an interview. Last year, India scored 3.3.
The study brings together recent data from a variety of sources, including business surveys and country experts, to assess the overall extent of graft in 183 nations.
India ranked 95th in the list way lower than China, Asias other major fast-growing economy, which scored 3.6 points and ranked 75th. Of the BRIC economies, India only did better than Russia, which ranked way down at No. 143 with a score of 2.4. In the South Asian region, India did worse than both Sri Lanka (No. 86) and the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan (No. 38).
Big corruption scandals, above all the Commonwealth Games and the 2G telecom scam, together with petty corruption contributed to Indias low score on the rankings, Mr. Nanayakkara said.
But its not all bad. One reason why corruption in India is perceived to be getting worse is that more and more people are willing to speak out against it. The urban middle classes, who are exposed to episodes of bribery more than most, have become a lot more outspoken and much more intolerant of petty corruption, Mr. Nanayakkara explained.
Anna Hazares mass anticorruption movement, which riveted the country over summer, tapped into this pent-up anger and pressed the government to push through powerful anti-graft legislation. A draft bill to set up a Lokpal, an anticorruption ombudsman, is expected to be reviewed in the current session of Parliament.
While Mr. Nanayakkara welcomed structural reforms like the Lokpal to curb graft in the country, he said they were not enough. He pointed to Indias Right to Information Act, which has allowed citizens to uncover episodes of corruption in the public sector. While he praised it as one of the best laws of its kind, he said not enough has been done to guarantee the safety of those who invoke it. Attacks against RTI activists are alarmingly common, and likely discourage many from using it.
In Transparency Internationals index, India still did much better than Pakistan (No. 134) and Nepal the South Asian country where corruption is perceived as most widespread at 154. At the very bottom of the list were Afghanistan, Myanmar, North Korea and Somalia, which fared worst of all. There were no surprises at the top of the chart, with New Zealand ranking first followed by a string of Scandinavian countries Denmark, Finland and Sweden.
India Scores Low in Transparency International
On Transparency Internationals latest corruption perception index, India scored 3.1 on a scale from zero to 10, where anything below five is bad news. Its not a good score at all for India, Rukshana Nanayakkara, acting director of Transparency Internationals Asia Pacific division, said in an interview. Last year, India scored 3.3.
The study brings together recent data from a variety of sources, including business surveys and country experts, to assess the overall extent of graft in 183 nations.
India ranked 95th in the list way lower than China, Asias other major fast-growing economy, which scored 3.6 points and ranked 75th. Of the BRIC economies, India only did better than Russia, which ranked way down at No. 143 with a score of 2.4. In the South Asian region, India did worse than both Sri Lanka (No. 86) and the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan (No. 38).
Big corruption scandals, above all the Commonwealth Games and the 2G telecom scam, together with petty corruption contributed to Indias low score on the rankings, Mr. Nanayakkara said.
But its not all bad. One reason why corruption in India is perceived to be getting worse is that more and more people are willing to speak out against it. The urban middle classes, who are exposed to episodes of bribery more than most, have become a lot more outspoken and much more intolerant of petty corruption, Mr. Nanayakkara explained.
Anna Hazares mass anticorruption movement, which riveted the country over summer, tapped into this pent-up anger and pressed the government to push through powerful anti-graft legislation. A draft bill to set up a Lokpal, an anticorruption ombudsman, is expected to be reviewed in the current session of Parliament.
While Mr. Nanayakkara welcomed structural reforms like the Lokpal to curb graft in the country, he said they were not enough. He pointed to Indias Right to Information Act, which has allowed citizens to uncover episodes of corruption in the public sector. While he praised it as one of the best laws of its kind, he said not enough has been done to guarantee the safety of those who invoke it. Attacks against RTI activists are alarmingly common, and likely discourage many from using it.
In Transparency Internationals index, India still did much better than Pakistan (No. 134) and Nepal the South Asian country where corruption is perceived as most widespread at 154. At the very bottom of the list were Afghanistan, Myanmar, North Korea and Somalia, which fared worst of all. There were no surprises at the top of the chart, with New Zealand ranking first followed by a string of Scandinavian countries Denmark, Finland and Sweden.
India Scores Low in Transparency International
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