India has climbed three positions on the Corruption Perceptions Index 2018 to 78, as per a report released by global watchdog Transparency International. According to the report, more than two-third countries (out of 180) score below 50. Scores closer to 100 denotes a clean country and scores closer to 0 denotes the bad performance in fighting corruption. The report records the average score at 43.
Comparing India’s performance with last year, no major change has happened. India's score went up by 1 point to 41 from last year, but remains below the average score of 43. A detailed analysis points to the fact that countries in the Asia Pacific region have made little or no progress “in its anti-corruption efforts”.
“With an average score of just 44 for three consecutive years, the Asia Pacific region is making little progress in the fight against corruption,” says the snapshot of the region.
Despite having countries that scored well such as New Zealand, Singapore and Australia (87, 85 and 77 respectively) the region has been experiencing stagnant growth. The main reason is devoted to ‘Overall weakening of democratic institutions and political rights’.
However, India is one of the four countries that have ‘promising political developments’. Other countries in the Asia-Pacific region that “will be important to watch moving forward” are Malaysia (47), Maldives (31) and Pakistan (33).
The report also mentions the lack of effective implementation of existing acts to tackle corruption―primarily, the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013.
What’s the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act?
The Act was passed in 2013 after a series of protests and demonstrations headed by Anna Hazare took the country by storm. The Lokpal Bill is an anti-corruption Ombudsman. The members are to be selected by a selection committee consisting of the prime minister, the speaker of the Lok Sabha, leader of the opposition party, Chief Justice of India or a sitting Supreme Court judge nominated by the CJI and a jurist recommended by the president of India. The Act gives a time period of 60 days for the Lokpal members to complete the inquiry and a period of six months to the Central Bureau of Investigation for the completion of investigations related to corruption.
However, the Lokpal committee at the Centre and Lokayukta committee at state levels are yet to be formed. Demanding the formation of these committees at the state and central level, Anna Hazare has once again announced his fasting from January 30.