Below Poverty Line (BPL) households in India pay about Rs 9,000 million (€136 million, US $212 million) in bribes to get access to basic and need based public services, according to a study released by TI India (TII) and the Centre for Media Study (CMS) on 28 June. The TII-CMS India Corruption Study 2007 focuses this year on the poor who are more dependant on public services and therefore disproportionately affected by corruption in the public sector. “This kind of corruption denies people their entitlement to basic and need based services, many of which may be ‘free’ by law, resulting in the poor finding themselves at the losing end of the corruption chain”, said Admiral (Retd) R H Tahiliani, Chair of Transparency International India. By surveying 22,728 BPL households and examining 11 selected public services where corruption is seen as a barrier to access in households across the states, the study shows that many BPL families, pay bribes to gain access to basic public services. Of all the public services examined, the police were perceived as the most corrupt, with an estimated 2.5 million out of a total of 5.6 million people reportedly having paid some kind of bribe on coming into contact with the police. According to the study, land records and registration services were also noted for their “alarming levels” of corruption.
The study is the third of its kind conducted by TII and the most detailed yet, including BPL households in both rural and urban areas in all 31 states and Union Territories, as well as offering more extensive solutions to the problems. The studies were developed as a tool to sensitise the general public and concerned stakeholders to the effects of corruption and to prompt the government and civil society groups to take up locally relevant action.
TII aims to improve the lives of the poorest by acting as a catalyst and providing the knowledge and leadership necessary to fighting corruption. This will be done by conducting consultation workshops, training and capacity building with various stakeholders. TII will also use the study as a basis for advocacy programmes to raise awareness among people, to empower the poor to stand their ground and demand their right to receive access to the basic services that they are entitled to without paying bribes.
Anti-Corruption Work
Comments: We need a similar independent organisation to reduce the negative impact of the rampant corruption in the Defence Forces Household. The basic Annual Immovable Property Statement submission should be made mandatory for all the officers who acquire vast properties beyond sources of normal income from salaries. This is applicable mostly to senior officers holding appointments with vast financial powers where misuse of powers is so evident. The aim being to ensure that the best rated services and goods are delivered to serving Jawans, thereby maintaining the troops morale at its peak!
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