Transparency International survey puts India on top among 16 Asia Pacific nations

A survey by Transparency International has claimed that India has the highest bribery rate among the 16 countries in the Asia Pacific region, so much so that seven out of 10 Indians who had accessed public services, like public schools, public hospitals, official documents (such as identification card, voters card), public utility services, the police and courts, confessed to having paid a bribe.

In contrast, 0.2% of respondents from Japan reported paying a bribe, making it the least corrupted country in Asia Pacific.

However, more than half of the Indian respondents said that they are optimistic about Indian government's efforts to combat bribery, as compared to the 40%, which said that corruption had increased over the past twelve months. This number was 73% amongst Chinese residents, the highest in this survey.

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More than 60% of the respondents in India also said that individuals can fight corruption if they want.

The survey, called the Global Corruption Barometer for the Asia Pacific Region, was released by Transparency International, which is an anti-corruption global civil society organisation.

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As per the survey, approximately 90 crore people across 16 countries in Asia Pacific are estimated to have paid a bribe to access public services. These nations involve biggest economies like India and China.

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After India, the second most corrupt nation is Vietnam, where around 65% respondents agreed to having paid a bribe when accessing public services.

While in India, Pakistan and Thailand, the poorer section of the society paid bribe to get things done, in China, the richer sections were more likely to pay a bribe.

"Governments must do more to deliver on their anti-corruption commitments. It's time to stop talking and act. Millions of people are forced to pay bribes for public services and it is the poor who are most vulnerable," Jose Ugaz, chair of Transparency International, told TOI.

(Image source: DNA)