India Among 120 Countries With Serious Corruption Problems: Report

A report released on January 25 by Transparency International titled 'Corruption Perceptions Index 2021' ranked India at 85 among 180 countries. India made a slight improvement from the 86th rank in the previous year. The Index ranks countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption. The report shows that India's case is particularly worrying since the country's scores have remained stagnant over the past decade. As reported by The Indian Express, the report said,

"The case of India is particularly worrying. While the country's score has remained stagnant over the past decade, some mechanisms that could help reign in corruption are weakening. There are concerns over the country's democratic status, as fundamental freedoms and institutional checks and balances decay."

Some Statistics On The Report

Corruption Perceptions Index uses a scale from 0 to 100, where 0 is very corrupt, and 100 is very clean from corruption. On the scale, India scores 40, which shows that India's public sector is nowhere near to being clean from corruption. The global average is 43 points. The corruption rate in China is also alarming, with a CPI score of 45.

Pakistan has dropped to 140th rank with a score of 28. Denmark, Finland, and New Zealand are the least corrupt countries scoring above 85 in the Corruption Perception Index. South Sudan is identified as the most corrupt country, with a CPI score of 11. One hundred thirty-one countries are found to have no improvements in their works against corruption in the last decade, and two-thirds of countries scored below 50. This year's scores revealed that all countries are at a standstill in their fight against corruption.

Corruption Can Be Fought Against

Corruption is the act of abusing entrusted power for private gain. Corruption is linked to human rights and democracy. Protecting human rights and democracy plays a vital role in fighting against corruption. The Index shows that countries with higher civil liberties score higher on the CPI.

Corruption is something that can be fought against by taking measures. The report recommends methods to end the vicious cycle of corruption, human rights violations and democratic decline. Government should not put restrictions on freedom of expression. It helps to bring to the light corrupt activities which would have remained hidden otherwise. Anti-corruption agencies and supreme audit institutions need to be independent, well-resourced and empowered to find out corruption activities and work against it.

The government should ensure that the corrupt and their accomplices cannot escape justice and will have to face the consequences for their actions. Every individual should be aware that the government and its services are for the benefit of all, and the power that comes along with being in the public sector should not be abused for personal gains.

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