India 95th among 183 countries in Corruption Perception Index

India's image on tackling graft
seems to have gone from bad to worse in the perception of
people dealing with the system, with its rank slipping to a
low 95 among 183 countries in Transparency International's
Corruption Perception Index (CPI).
While the debate continues in India over an anti-graft
ombudsman, the study by the international watchdog shows the
country's image declining consistently over the past three
years. This year, the country scores 3.1 on 10, with 10 being
the highest score.
Since 2007 when India was ranked 72 among 180 countries
with a score of 3.5, the score has declined, so have the
rankings. Last year, India was placed at 87.
The CPI ranks countries based on how corrupt their public
sector is perceived to be and is a composite index that draws
on data and studies by a number of specialised international
agencies through a complex process.
India's score is a result of an average of 13 studies
including World Bank's Country Performance and Institutional
Assessment, World Economic Forum Executive Opinion Survey and
Global Insight Country Risk Ratings, among others.
New Zealand is at the top spot with a score of 9.5
followed by Finland and Denmark. The countries that occupy the
bottom ranks in the index are Somalia, North Korea, Myanmar
and Afghanistan, which are helmed by unstable governments and
conflicts.
With the unearthing of major scams, arrests of
influential people over corruption and a movement for a Lokpal
stealing headlines in India, people associated with
Transparency International India said since the study is a
measurement of perception, these factors could have marginally
contributed to the decline.