India worst in Asia with 39% people taking to bribery, says survey; exposes PM’s claim of checking corruption

Demolishing tall claims made by the Modi government that corruption in public life has gone down during its tenure, a recent survey has revealed that 39% Indians were forced to take to bribery to avail public services.

As per the survey, titled “Global Corruption Barometer for Asia”, in India alone 89 per cent respondents said that government corruption remains a big problem.

The survey, which was conducted in 17 Asian countries, revealed that one out of every five people claimed to have bribed officials in the last 12 months to use public services.

According to the survey, India topped the list of countries – trailing Cambodia with 37 per cent, Indonesia at 30 per cent, South Korea with 10 per cent and Japan and the Maldives at 2 per cent – where bribery is rampant.

Six key public services were covered in the survey: police, courts, public hospitals, procurement of identity documents and utilities.

According to the survey, 42 per cent of people who came into contact with the police paid bribes. Use of personal connections was also largely made in dealings with the police (39 %), procurement of ID documents (42%) and in relation to courts (38%), revealed the survey.

The report highlights while reporting of corruption is critical, 63 per cent of respondents feared retaliation.

It is worth recalling here that Narendra Modi-led NDA came to power in 2014 riding an anti-corruption movement led by a non-political organization called ‘India Against Corruption’. PM Modi himself has, time and again, claimed that corruption has decreased in his regime. However, the survey proves that his statement “Na khaunga, na khane dunga” (won’t indulge in corruption, won’t let other do so too) is just another ‘jumla’.