India slips in corruption index

Releasing the figures, the chairman of Transparency International, Admiral retd R H Tahiliani said: 8220;It8217;s depressing that instead of improving our country has dipped. It gives the perception that we aren8217;t doing enough to improve the situation.8221;

When asked which systems contributed most to the problem, Tahiliani named the police, the political establishment and the lower judiciary respectively, according to the survey.

He said that the figures were worrying since they reflected the world8217;s perception about India 8212; experts do the evaluation of the extent of corruption independently with figures secured from sources like the Asian Development Bank, Country Policy and Institutional Assessment, Economist Intelligence Unit and so on.

Stressing the need for electoral reforms, Tahiliani said that former CEC B B Tandon had joined them and for the next couple of years Transparency International would devote itself to press for improving the political system. 8220;Corruption in the political establishment is rampant. Huge money is spent for contesting elections and its no secret that the money comes from corruption. There is need to reform it,8221; Tahiliani underlined.

He added that the political establishment does not seem to be serious about battling corruption, as the Lok Pal Bill and the Corrupt Public Servants Forfeiture of Property Bill continue to be in limbo. 8220;Lok Pal will act as an ombudsman for the common man8221;, he pointed out, adding that there is a strong correlation between corruption and poverty 8212; corruption continues to jeopardise the fight against poverty and threatens to derail the UN Millennium Development Goals.

Interestingly, India and China were on par where corruption was concerned until last year, but in 2008 our northern neighbour has improved marginally with a higher integrity score of 3.6 and held on to its 72nd rank. Pakistan with a score of 2.5 has been ranked at 134 in the list.

Denmark, New Zealand and Sweden, each with an integrity score of 9.3 have topped the survey and are seen as the least corrupt nations while Somalia, with a score of just 1, ranks as the most corrupt country.

India8217;s 8216;integrity8217; on the decline

According to the Corruption Perception Index CPI, 2008:

1. India8217;s level of perceived corruption has increased from 3.5 in 2007 to to 3.4 this year. The higher the score, the lower the extent of corruption.

2. India has climbed from 72 to 85 in the list of the world8217;s most corrupt countries.

3. India and China were at par last year, but the neighbouring country has improved marginally with an integrity score of 3.6 and has kept its rank of 72.