India's position in Corruption Perception Index improves

In a good news for India, the country has improved on its ranking in the Corruption Perception Index. In the data for the year 2014, India stands at 85th position out of 175 countries as compared to its ranking of 94 in 2013 out of 177 countries.

There has been an improvement in the CPI score also for the year 2014. The score which is 38 in 2014, was 36 in the year 2013.

Poorly equipped schools, counterfeit medicine and elections decided by money have been stated as some of the consequences of public sector corruption. "Bribes and backroom deals don't just steal resources from the most vulnerable - they undermine justice and economic development, and destroy public trust in government and leaders," the report states.

Based on expert opinion from around the world, the Corruption Perceptions Index measures the perceived levels of public sector corruption worldwide. In an alarming picture painted by the CPI, not even a single country has got a perfect score and more than two-thirds score below 50, on a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).

"Corruption is a problem for all countries. A poor score is likely a sign of widespread bribery, lack of punishment for corruption and public institutions that don't respond to citizens' needs. Countries at the top of the index also need to act. Leading financial centres in the EU and US need to join with fast-growing economies to stop the corrupt from getting away with it. The G20 needs to prove its global leadership role and prevent money laundering and stop secret companies from masking corruption," the report said.