India Up the Honesty Ladder
The latest report by Transparency International (TI), the Berlin-based anti-corruption watchdog, has a surprise. India ranks No. 70 on its Corruption Perception Index (CPI) out of 163 nations. It is a distinct improvement over last year, when India stood at No 88. For the first time, India has reversed its downward slide on the CPI, and a reason for this is probably the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
If not for RTI we might have still ranked the same
Vice-Admiral (retd) RH Tahiliani, president of TI-India, said the marginal improvement was welcome but there was a long road ahead. “Indians give Rs 21,000 crore every year as bribes,” he said.
He credited the RTI Act with bringing in more transparency in the government. “That was objective of the Act,” said OP Kejriwal, information commissioner in the Central Information Commission.
According to the CPI, India has the lowest perceived level of corruption among South Asian nations. Bangladesh, ranked 156, is the most corrupt, followed by Pakistan at 142 and Sri Lanka at 84.
21,000 crore of bribe is a huge amount. Knowing this would your answer to this question be any different?
I wonder is RTI the only reason or there are other reasons? Have we suddenly achieved higher morals? Is the new generation different than the old? Are they willing to fight longer?
Whatever the reason is, it is good to see this improvement.
November 8th, 2006 at 6:17 pm
Yes, this is good news. but this is not beacuse of RTI Act or any new generation being different and willing to fight longer. this is just beacuse it is relative ranking with respective to other countries.
But we consider India alone, we are still at the same level and nothing has really changed.
November 8th, 2006 at 7:19 pm
So you mean it is not India doing any better but the other countries have started doing worse. Interesting
November 8th, 2006 at 9:02 pm
Yes, i know lot of my colleagues ( who earn more than 4 lpa) are ready to bribe a RTO officer for driving license. one of my colleagues even criticised the previous government for taking strict measures (to some extent) against the corrupt officials. He says ” Under the present government, officials act quickly when they are bribed. this is good for me.”
I want to see how this guy reacts if he is in a situation where he has to legally win over a person who has more money and power.
November 8th, 2006 at 9:22 pm
Hey, i just read my previous comment and what is that lot of colleagues. it’s time for me to go back to school and learn some english
November 8th, 2006 at 10:21 pm
Yes Bribing is an issue. I was reading in Hindustan times today about the problems the drivers pose today. The drivers get the license by bribing and know nothing about the rules. Then they create havoc on the road.
BTW as for learning english, Read this and you might feel better.
November 14th, 2006 at 8:54 am
November 17th, 2006 at 9:08 am
The state of Rajasthan was the first to implement RTI (even before the center started talking about it). There has been enormous benefits in the Muster rolls, relief work and things which matter to the welfare of the public.
Any step … no matter how small is a great welcome in the fight against corruption.
November 17th, 2006 at 10:17 pm
pegasus,
I have been following the RTI related blogs for sometime now and I can see how this thing can make a difference.
Only if it doesn’t get watered down by the politicians!
November 20th, 2006 at 5:13 am
politicians and bureaucrats have vested interest in killing RTI. so they will cite one reason or other to not implement it.
December 5th, 2006 at 10:14 pm
I know all this math but can we learn about indians now?
December 21st, 2006 at 6:50 pm
just test soft-a :))))
June 15th, 2008 at 4:22 am
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Hamlin, Henry
http://www.whelesscoc.org/