India has slipped two places in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI-2019), ranking at 80 as compared to 78 in the previous year, said Transparency International on Thursday, raising questions over ‘unfair and opaque political financing’ in the country.

India’s score of 41 out of 100 remains constant, pointing at very little improvement in tackling corruption. The 2019 CPI released at the World Economic Forum 2020 in Davos, analyses public sector corruption in 180 countries, giving each a score from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (fully transparent).

‘Our analysis also shows corruption is more pervasive in countries where big money can flow freely into electoral campaigns and where governments listen only to the voices of wealthy or well-connected individuals,’ Transparency International said.

The report has found that in democracies like India and Australia, unfair political financing, undue influence in decision-making and lobbying by powerful corporate interest groups has led to stagnation or reduced control of corruption.

No Improvement

Most countries are showing little to no improvement in combating corruption, the report highlighted.

Greece, Guyana and Estonia were among the 22 countries which improved their CPI scores in the last eight years, on the other hand, 21 countries including Canada, Australia and Nicaragua saw a significant fall in their scores. In the remaining 137 countries, the levels of corruption saw little to no change according to the report.

Denmark and New Zealand secured the top spot, followed by Finland, Singapore, Sweden and Switzerland in the top ten.

The Asia Pacific region, experiences ‘general stagnation’ with an average score of 45, after many consecutive years of an average score of 44. China witnessed a two-point jump, from 87 to 80.

The report found, ‘Despite the presence of high performers like New Zealand (87), Singapore (85), Australia (77), Hong Kong (76) and Japan (73), the Asia Pacific region hasn’t witnessed substantial progress in anti-corruption efforts or results. In addition, low performers like Afghanistan (16), North Korea (17) and Cambodia (20) continue to highlight serious challenges in the region.

Transparency International Chair Delia Ferreira Rubio said that nations must immediately address the role of big money corruption in political financing and the undue influence it creates on our political systems.

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