85% of Indians Think Political Parties are Corrupt, Says Survey

A new survey showed that India is among the top nations where corruption has increased in the past two years. It also revealed that 85 percent of Indians believe political parties in the country to be corrupt. 

Berlin-based watchdog Transparency International conducted the survey "Global Corruption Barometer 2013" among 114,000 people in 107 countries to estimate the level of corruption globally. For the survey, approximately 1,000 people from 107 countries were surveyed between September 2012 and March 2013.

The survey found that 71 percent of Indians believed that corruption within the country has increased and only 6 percent said it has decreased. With the growing number of corruption scandals, 87 percent of the Indian respondents feel the government is run by 'few big entities acting for their own interest'.

"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," he added.

More than half the respondents felt the government is not doing enough and is incapable of curbing corruption in the country.

"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.

The survey reflects a growing distrust in public authorities and institutions. A whopping 75 percent of Indians felt that authorities are corrupt and 62 percent admitted to paying a bribe to police personnel in the last 12 months. More than 60 percent believe that India is growing a breed of corrupt public servants that work within the ambit of the Parliament. Political parties universally emerged as the most corrupt institution after police and public officials.

"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," said Nanayakkara.

Moreover, one in two (54 percent) Indians admitted to paying a bribe in the past 12 months to access key public institutions and services, compared to one in four respondents (27 percent) globally.