India ranks 85 in Transparency international's corruption index

Last Updated26/01/2022

Transparency International ranked India at 85 among 180 countries in its Corruption Perception Index report underlining that some of the mechanisms that could help reign in corruption are weakening
India's rank improved one place from 86 last year however the report has raised concern over the country's democratic status.

This index ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption
It relies on sources like Freedom House and the World Bank and surveys based on questionnaires answered by experts and businesspeople.
“Corruption” includes bribery, diversion of public funds, use of public office for private gain without facing consequences, government control of corruption in the public sector, red tape, nepotistic appointments, laws for disclosure of public officia’s finances and conflicts of interest, legal protection for whistleblowers, state capture by vested interests, and access to information on government activities.
The data sources are then standardised to grade countries on a scale of zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean) every year

It is an international non -governmental organisation founded in 1993 based in Berlin, Germany
Its mission is to stop corruption and promote transparency, accountability and integrity at all levels and across all sectors of society
Its most notable publications include the Global Corruption Barometer and the Corruption Perception Index

Topping the index this year are Denmark, Finland and New Zealand, all tied with scores of 88
Among those with weak scores are some of the world's most populous countries such as China (45) and India (40), and other large economies such as Indonesia (38), Pakistan (28) and Bangladesh (26)

India's rank improved by one place to 85 in 2021 from 86th in 2020
Except Bhutan, all of India's neighbours are ranked below it.
India was among 86% of the 180 countries the index covers that have made little to no progress since 2012.
Calling the case of India particularly worrying, the report said while the country's score has remained stagnant over the past decade, some of the mechanisms that could help reign in corruption are weakening.
There are also concerns over the country's democratic status, as fundamental freedoms and institutional checks and balances decay
It has noted that journalists and activists are particularly at risk and have been victims of attacks by the police, political militants, criminal gangs and corrupt local officials
Civil society organisations that speak up against the government have been targeted with security, defamation, sedition, hate speech and contempt-of-court charges, and with regulations on foreign funding.”

Those countries with well-protected civil liberties generally score higher on the CPI, while the countries who violate civil liberties tend to score lower.
The global COVID-19 pandemic has also been used in many countries as an excuse to curtail basic freedoms and side-step important checks and balances.

To end the vicious cycle of corruption, human rights violations and democratic decline, people should demand that their governments:
UPHOLD THE RIGHTS NEEDED TO HOLD POWER TO ACCOUNT
COMBAT TRANSNATIONAL CORRUPTION
RESTORE AND STRENGTHEN INSTITUTIONAL CHECKS ON POWER
UPHOLD THE RIGHT TO INFORMATION IN GOVERNMENT SPENDING

Lack of checks and balances in government functionaries
Lack of effective management and organisation
Lack of support for political leaders.
Lack of coordination among vigilance systems in the country
Lack of economic stability which leads to unemployment in the country and ultimately corrupt ways to acquire a government job

Prevention of corruption Act 1988: it seeks to create a balance between the need to bring corruption to the books and protect honest officers.
Government sanction is required for prosecution of an officer
Benami property Act 1988: amendments done in the act in recent times have widened the definition of the benami property and allow the government to confiscate such properties without any hassles of court approvals
Central Vigilance commission Act 2003: this act gives statutory status to CVC.
Central Vigilance Commissioner shall be appointed by President on recommendation of a Committee consisting of the PM, MHA and LoP in LS
Covers AIS officers, Gazetted officers of centre, senior members of the PSB banks etc.
Commission has the powers of a Civil Court
Right to Information Act 2005: It makes disclosure of information a legal right of the public to promote transparency
Whistleblower protection Act, 2014: it accords special protection to the people who disclose the acts of wrongdoing in the government
Lokpal and Lokayukta Act 2013:
Lokpal at centre and Lokayukta at states are appointed to probe into the complaints of wrongdoing by the public servants under this act

UN conventions against corruption: India is signatory to it
It was adopted by UNGA in 2003
India is also a signatory to the ADB OECD Anti-Corruption Action Plan for Asia Pacific

Integrity, openness, and anti-corruption efforts must all be ingrained in the culture. They must be considered fundamental principles of the society in which we live. For the time being, corruption should not be viewed as a cancer that must be eradicated root and branch. A practical method would be to treat it as if it were an obsession that needed to be healed. A step-by-step approach to the problem will result in more realistic target-setting and a speedier completion time for it