19.11.09

Honesty Meter


Transparency International India’s (TII) corruption index has ranked India 84th out of 180 countries. A silver lining to this dismal ranking is that with an integrity score of 3.4, India is the least corrupt country in south Asia excluding Bhutan. Also, India has improved its credibility score from 2.7 in 2001 to 3.4 in 2009. Speaking on the issue, TII chairman Admiral (retd) R H Tahiliani said, “The score this year is not particularly flattering but we can take consolation from the fact that the country’s score has not gone from bad to worse.’’ The evaluation of the extent of corruption is based on opinion from country experts—resident and non-residents—and business leaders. The corruption index measures perceived levels of public sector corruption in a country. In 2009, expert analysis was sourced from African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, Bertelsmann Foundation, Economist Intelligence Unit, Freedom House, Global Insight and World Bank. Resident business leaders whose opinions are reflected in the survey are IMD, Political and Economic Risk Consultancy and the World Economic Forum. New Zealand, Denmark, Singapore, Sweden and Switzerland are the top 5 honest countries. While China ranks 79th with a score of 3.6, Pakistan has a score of 2.4, Bangladesh (2.4), Bhutan (5), Nepal (2.3), Maldives (2.5) and Sri Lanka (3.1). According to TII, nearly half of the 180 countries have scored three or even lower points, a clear indication that corruption is perceived to be rampant. Haiti, Iraq, Myanmar and Somalia have recorded the lowest score of less than 1.5. Transparency International has found that there is a strong coorelation between corruption and poverty, jeopardising the global fight against poverty.

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