India's corruption Ranking improves
Transparency International’s annual survey ranked India as less corrupt than China for the first time in 18 years as a nationwide outcry against corruption helped lift global perceptions of the South Asian nation.
In the yearly ranking of least-corrupt countries, India jumped 10 places from in its ranking last year to 85th out of the 175. China tumbled 20 places in the ranking to number 100. The last time India did better than China in the rankings was 1996.
The Berlin-based watchdog surveyed multilateral banks, big foundations and other international institutions about the level of corruption in different countries to come up with its annual Corruption Perceptions Index which was used for the rankings.
Perceptions about India were helped as street protests and national elections focused the world’s largest democracy’s attention on corruption, said the Berlin-based watchdog.
The call for a crackdown on corruption led to new laws and a new government. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, came to power in May on pledges to fight corruption.
“Despite the engagement, innovation and participation of vibrant civil society, media and people at large, corruption continues to be one of the country’s biggest challenges,” the report said. The ranking still “reveals India’s bitter reality of political corruption.” more