At a staggering rate of 39%, corruption in India was found to be highest among Asian countries, according to a recent survey titled Global Corruption Barometer – Asia, published by Transparency International. The global organisation surveyed 20,000 individuals across 17 countries in Asia with corruption and bribery as the main parameters.
India was closely followed by Cambodia (37%) and Indonesia (30%) at second and third positions. Japan, along with the Maldives, reported the least rate of corruption at 2%. India’s immediate neighbour Nepal emerged as the country with the third-lowest corruption rate (12%).
Overall, the survey revealed that around 836 million individuals in Asia have been involved in the donation or partake of bribes in the last year.
80th rank in global corruptionÂ
It must be reminded in this context that earlier this year, India ranked at an appalling 80th position at the global Corruption Perception Index. The survey was also conducted by Transparency International with 180 participating countries. The report was revealed in January 2020 at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As part of the survey, participants were questioned on their experience with corruption in the last 12 months and their understanding of the menace. The final results were compiled after collating data through June to September this year.
Corruption in India is a prevalent pattern
India is internationally infamous for its high corruption rates, especially among government officials. The latest survey has corroborated the notion more strongly than ever. In fact, India also reported the highest rate of people (46%) who used unfair means to avail public services.
Nearly half of India’s population (47%) alleged that corruption has visibly increased in the past 12 months under the NDA government. However, at the same time, nearly 63% of the people asserted their faith in this government in tackling corruption.
The report mentioned the existence of corruption in six key public sectors – police, healthcare, judiciary, procurement of identity documents and other utilities. India recorded the most corruption among police and government sector officials. 42% of Indians confirmed bribing the police while 41% admitted to paying bribes to obtain official documents or using personal connections for such purposes.
Citizens against corruption in India
In terms of election-related corruption, India ranked fourth at 18% while the practice of vote-buying was found to be highest in Thailand.
For the first time ever, the report took into account the heinous practice of sextortion. At 11%, India stood at fourth position in the abuse of power through sexual coercion.
Anti-corruption agencies in Asian countries were also surveyed based on their performance and success. While India’s neighbours Myanmar (94%), Bangladesh (86%) and Nepal (84%) had the best approved anti-corruption forums, India stood way behind with approval rating of 73%.
The survey aims to alert citizens about the immanence of corruption in their countries. In light of the shocking results, citizens of India need to sport a strict stance against bribery and corruption in order to uproot the problem from the country’s socio-economic fabric.
