Knowledge Nugget: India’s rank in the Corruption Perceptions Index, a must-know for UPSC

Key Takeaways:

1. The index uses a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 is highly corrupt and 100 is corruption clean. The rank tells the country’s position relative to other countries in the index. The score for each country is derived from a minimum of three data sources, selected from 13 distinct corruption surveys and assessments. These sources are gathered by a range of reputed organisations, such as the World Bank and the World Economic Forum.

2. Transparency International gave India a CPI score of 38. In 2023, India’s overall score was 39 while in 2022, it was 40. There is a decline in the score of India on CPI. In the Asia-Pacific region, the average score for the region has dropped by one point to 44 as the countries are still failing to deliver on anti-corruption pledges.

India’s score since 2012 on the Corruption Perceptions Index. (Transparency International)

3. The report highlighted that 32 countries have significantly reduced corruption levels since 2012. However, the worrying picture is from 148 countries whose scores have stayed or gotten worse during the same period. Over two-thirds of the countries’ score is below 50 and the global average score of 43 has remained the same for years.

4. Climate change is one of the important issues impacting the world right now. The report has also highlighted that corruption is strongly intertwined with climate change. The funds intended to help those suffering from the consequences of global heating are stolen or misused due to corruption in the system. Corruption also impacts the implementation of policies that are aimed at addressing climate change leading to further environmental damage.

5. Among India’s neighbors, Bangladesh has received a score of 23, Pakistan 27, and Sri Lanka 32. Bangladesh is one of the largest recipients of climate finance, which is vulnerable to embezzlement and other forms of corruption. The concern is that the funds meant to address climate change vulnerabilities may never reach the intended beneficiaries. According to the report, systematic governance gaps and policy implementation delays have been observed in climate-vulnerable countries like Pakistan.

6. Denmark held on to first place with an unchanged 90 points, followed by Finland with 88 and Singapore with 84. New Zealand dropped from third to fourth, shedding two points to 83. South Sudan slid to the bottom of the index with just eight points, displacing Somalia although the latter country’s score dropped to nine. They were followed by Venezuela with 10 and Syria with 12.

7. Corruption not only undermines development in a country but is also a key cause of declining democracy, instability, and human rights violations as highlighted by the report.

The international community and every nation must make tackling corruption a top and long-term priority. This is crucial to pushing back against authoritarianism and securing a peaceful, free and sustainable world. The dangerous trends revealed in this year’s Corruption Perceptions Index highlight the need to follow through with concrete action now to address global corruption.

Francois Valerian, Chair of Transparency International

BEYOND THE NUGGET: Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act

1. The idea of a Lokpal — the central anti-corruption ombudsman — first came up in 1963 during a discussion on Budget allocation of the Union Law Ministry. Bills seeking an ombudsman were introduced in Parliament eight times between 1968 and 2001 but were not passed, noted a 2020 report by anti-corruption organisation Transparency International India.

2. However, over the years, different states set up their own Lokayuktas — the state equivalent of the Lokpal. Maharashtra was first in this respect with its Lokayukta body established in 1971 under the Maharashtra Lokayukta and Upayukta Act.

3. The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013, subsequently came into force on January 16, 2014. The Act provides for establishing a Lokpal headed by a Chairperson, who is or has been a Chief Justice of India, or is or has been a judge of the Supreme Court, or an eminent person who fulfills eligibility criteria as specified. Of its other members, not exceeding eight, 50% are to be judicial members, provided that not less than 50% of the members belong to the Scheduled Castess, Scheduled Tribes, OBCs, minorities, and women.

4. The Lokpal Act covers a wide range of public servants — from the Prime Minister, ministers, and MP, to groups A, B, C, and D officers of the central government. “Lokpal shall inquire or cause an inquiry to be conducted into any matter involved in, or arising from, or connected with, any allegation of corruption made in a complaint” in respect of the Prime Minister, the Act says.

5. The Act does not allow a Lokpal inquiry if the allegation against the Prime Minister relates to international relations, external and internal security, public order, atomic energy and space. Also, complaints against the Prime Minister are not to be probed unless the full Lokpal bench considers the initiation of an inquiry and at least two-thirds of the members approve it.

6. The Lokpal chairperson and the members are appointed for a term of five years or serve till they are 70 years old, whichever is earlier. The first Lokpal chairperson was former Supreme Court Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose, who had assumed office in March 2019. Since his retirement in May 2022, former Jharkhand HC Chief Justice Pradip Kumar Mohanty has been the acting Lokpal chairperson. Last year, Former Supreme Court Justice AM Khanwilkar was appointed as the ‘Lokpal of India’.

(Source: Transparency International’s corruption index, Transparency International Report, Explained: How Lokpal will form, function, A brief history of Lokayukta)

Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – IndianExpress UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X.

🚨Union Budget 2025 special: Click Here to read the February 2025 issue of the UPSC Essentials monthly magazine. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com🚨