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NEW DELHI, INDIA, June 30, 2005: For those who believe that corruption in India is almost an industry, here’s proof, begins this article in the Hindustan Times. A survey conducted by Transparency International India (TII) says Indians paid bribes amounting to US$4.8 billion (Rs 21,068 crore) in the past year. And no one would have guessed it, but the biggest chunk of this money goes to schools till the Class XII level. “The money was paid for either getting admission or certificates,” said Navin Sarangpani of the Centre for Media Studies (CMS), which carried out the study. The police (crime/traffic) were second in terms of collecting bribe money, accounting for $886 million. This is not to say that schools are the most corrupt. That honor goes to the police who have been ranked the most corrupt according to a ‘corruption index’ prepared by the CMS. The reason schools receive the biggest chunk of bribe money is that “(the) proportion of citizens interacting with schools is much more than the police or municipalities,” said Sarangpani. Land administration and judiciary are tied at second place on the corruption index, followed by municipal bodies and the Income-Tax Department. The study focused on petty corruption in 11 public services and had a sample of over 14,000 people in 20 states. Sixty-two percent of hose surveyed said they indulged in corruption. Among the states, Bihar is rated the most corrupt and Kerala the least. Delhi comes tenth, a notch more corrupt than Uttar Pradesh. In more shame for the Capital, Delhi’s public-distribution system has been rated the most corrupt in the country. The CMS asked service providers for the reasons behind corruption. The excuse: a heavy workload, outdated infrastructure, political interference and lack of performance incentives.

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