India getting more corrupt despite RTI Act, show stats

India getting more corrupt despite RTI Act, show stats

Activists from Uttar Pradesh submitted a memorandum to the PM and
President of India demanding interference on the issue that why is
India rising on the Corruption index despite RTI.

CJ: urvashi sharma Thu, Nov 04, 2010 11:58:06 IST

http://www.merinews.com/article/india-getting-more-corrupt-despite-rti-act-show-stats/15834346.shtml

ON WEDNESDAY, November 3, members of two Uttar Pradesh-based
associations comprising concerned citizens, namely- 'Yaishwaryaj' and
'Surya' submitted a memorandum addressed to the Prime Minister and
President of India.

The members expressed their concerns on the alarming trend as
indicated by the Corruption Perception Index figures released by
Transparency International.

The figures that have come out after the research show that India has
moved up on the index of Corruption in the year 2010, despite there
being a transparency ensuring Act- Right to Information Act, 2005.

In the Transparency International's annual survey India slipped from
84th position to 87th in the corruption index. The corruption is
measured on a scale of 0-10, where zero means highly corrupt where as
10 means lesser corruption. India scored 3.3 on the corruption
perception index.
The cause for concern is that India has become more corrupt than last
year, despite the RTI Act, whose main aim is to bring transparency and
accountability and in turn check corruption.

"We collected Corruption Perception Index data from the Transparency
International's website for the years 2001-2010. The time period
selected covered both pre and post-RTI periods," said activist Ram
Prakash.

The associations compiled the data from both pre and post-RTI period
and demanded an introspection and action at the Government level so
that corruption can be combated.

"We are alarmed and distressed to learn from the recent newspaper
reports and Transparency International's website that for the year
2010, India has moved up the ladder of corruption. We, the social
activists from Uttar Pradesh, discussed the RTI Act, 2005 vis-à-vis
Corruption Perception Index (CPI) data released by Transparency
International and decided to send this memorandum to you with the
demand to constitute a committee to study this scenario in the light
of implementation of Right to Information Act, 2005 in spirit since
2005 to date," read the memorandum submitted to the PM and President.

Activists claimed that the analysis of the C.P.I. data for these 10
years show that in these ten years India was:

• The least honest in year 2001 with C.P.I. Score of 2.7
• Showed no improvement in year 2002 with unchanged C.P.I. score of 2.7
• Showed improvement of 3.70% in year 2003 with C.P.I. Score of 2.8
• Showed no improvement in 2004 with unchanged C.P.I. Score of 2.8
• Showed improvement of 3.57% in year 2005 with C.P.I. Score of 2.9
• Showed improvement of 13.79% in year 2006 with C.P.I. Score of 3.3
• Showed improvement of 6. 06% in year 2007 with C.P.I. Score of 3.5
• Showed decline of 2.86% in year 2008 with C.P.I. Score of 3.4
• Showed no change in 2009 with unchanged C.P.I. Score of 3.4
• Showed decline of 2.94% in year 2010 with C.P.I. Score of 3.3

"The analysis shows that India rose on honesty scale from 2001 to 2007
and is continuously declining from 2008 till date," stated the
activists.

The remarkable point of study is that with the advent of RTI act 2005
in the year 2005, corruption diminished by 13.79% in year 2006 and
further by 6.06% in year 2007. From 2008 onwards, corruption is
showing continuous increasing trend thereby raising a question as to
for what purpose the RTI act was enacted and whether it is serving
that purpose or not., said activist Vishnu Datt from Bareilly

http://www.merinews.com/article/india-getting-more-corrupt-despite-rti-act-show-stats/15834346.shtml
--
Urvashi Sharma

RTI Helpmail( Web Based )
aishwaryaj2010@gmail.com

Mobile Rti Helpline
8081898081 ( 8 A.M. to 10 P.M. )