A global survey to gauge the extent of worldwide corruption has pegged India high up on the world scales and sent out a harsh message to the country's political parties over their inability to curb the problem.
Transparency International's annual 'Global Corruption Barometer 2013', which surveyed 114,270 people in 107 countries, found a whopping 70 per cent of those surveyed in India believed that corruption had increased in the last two years, compared to the global average of 53 per cent.
"India stands out not only in the region but also globally for a complete lack of public faith in the government to tackle the problem of corruption," Rukshana Nanayakkara, outreach manager for the Asia Pacific region at Transparency International, told PTI from his headquarters in Berlin.
"Most strikingly, 68 per cent of Indians surveyed said they did not believe the government was doing enough to fight the problem." she said.
"That implies a major trust issue for a country that wishes to become a global powerhouse but is unable to take care of its people," Nanayakkara said.
India also came out tops on the scale of bribery, with as many as one in two (54 per cent) respondents admitting to paying a bribe in the past 12 months to access key public institutions and services, compared to one in four respondents (27 per cent) globally.
Political parties universally emerged as the most corrupt institution, followed by the police and judiciary.
"Again, I think it is telling that in India as many as 86 per cent people believe political parties are corrupt. That again connects with the ineffectiveness of the state to address the problem.
"Against the backdrop of all the corruption scandals, it leads to natural cynicism in the country, with only 55 per cent willing to believe that an ordinary man can make a difference as compared to 67 per cent around the globe," added Nanayakkara.
In terms of the country's bribery share, the police cornered as much as 62 per cent of the bribes, followed by those involved in registry and permits at 61 per cent, educational institutions 48 per cent, land services 38 per cent and India's judiciary 36 per cent.
