India’s Rank 91st in the Corruption Perceptions Index 2025
Kartavya Desk Staff
Source: NIE
Subject: Corruption
Context: India has climbed to the 91st position on the global Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), reflecting a slight improvement from its 96th rank in the previous year.
• Despite this five-place rise, India’s score of 39 remains below the global average, highlighting that corruption is still viewed as a deep-rooted structural challenge.
About India’s Rank 91st in the Corruption Perceptions Index 2025:
What it is?
• The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), released annually by Transparency International, ranks 182 countries and territories based on perceived levels of public sector corruption.
• It uses a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). India’s rank of 91st with a score of 39 indicates that while digitalization and reforms have prevented a decline, the country still struggles with bureaucratic opacity and weak enforcement.
Key Insights & Trends in CPI 2025:
• Stagnant Global Progress: The global average score has dropped to a new low of 42, with more than two-thirds of countries scoring below 50.
• Asia-Pacific Regional Unrest: The region saw slow growth in anti-corruption progress, with public anger in countries like Nepal and Indonesia leading to Gen Z-led protests against unaccountable leadership.
• Backslide in Democracies: Established democracies like the UK (dropped to 20th) and the US (slipped to 29th) have seen their scores decline due to weakening standards and political funding opacity.
• Danger for Journalists: The 2025 report specifically lists India as dangerous for journalists investigating corruption, noting that 90% of journalist killings occur in countries with scores below 50.
• Top and Bottom Performers: Denmark remains the cleanest country (score: 89), while Somalia and South Sudan remain at the bottom (score: 9).
Reasons for Corruption Persistence in India:
• Bureaucratic Red Tape: Excessive regulations and complex approval processes create gatekeeping opportunities for officials.
E.g. Recent 2024 investigations into land acquisition approvals in various states showed officials demanding bribes to bypass lengthy procedural delays.
• Weak Protection for Whistleblowers: Despite laws, individuals who expose corruption often face harassment or physical threats.
E.g. Transparency International’s 2025 report highlighted the ongoing risks for investigative journalists reporting on local mining and sand mafias.
• Lack of Political Transparency: Opaque political funding and the influence of money power in elections sustain a corrupt ecosystem.
E.g. Ongoing debates in 2025 regarding the transparency of electoral funding mechanisms following the scrapping of previous bond schemes.
• Inconsistent Enforcement: Anti-corruption agencies are often perceived as being influenced by political considerations rather than independent merit.
E.g. Low conviction rates in high-profile 2024 scams, such as the West Bengal recruitment case, where legal proceedings have seen significant delays.
• Cultural Acceptance of ‘Speed Money’: A societal tendency to seek shortcuts (jugaad) leads to the normalization of petty bribery for basic services.
E.g. A 2024 study on regional transport offices (RTOs) found that citizens often pay middlemen to avoid the hassle of official driving test queues.
Initiatives Taken to Counter Corruption:
• Digitalization of Governance: Transitioning services to e-governance platforms (like Direct Benefit Transfer) to eliminate middlemen and human interface.
• Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act 2024: Strengthened punishments for bribe-givers and takers and introduced provisions for asset forfeiture.
• Expansion of Blockchain: Using blockchain technology for immutable land records and transparent government tendering in several states.
• Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) Reforms: Empowering the CVC with advanced forensic technologies and AI-powered tools to detect suspicious financial patterns.
Challenges to Counter Corruption:
• Overburdened Judiciary: The massive backlog of cases leads to trials dragging on for decades, reducing the deterrent effect.
E.g. In early 2025, several corruption cases from the 2010s were still awaiting final verdicts in special courts.
• Informal Economy & Black Money: A significant portion of the economy remains unorganized, making it easier to hide illicit transactions.
E.g. 2024-2025 tax raids continued to uncover massive stashes of unaccounted cash in the real estate and jewelry sectors.
• Cross-Border Asset Recovery: Difficulty in tracing and bringing back illicit funds stashed in foreign tax havens.
E.g. Indian authorities in 2025 emphasized the challenge of proving links in Hawala networks that bypass formal banking.
• Technological Misuse: While tech helps, corrupt actors are increasingly using encrypted platforms and deepfakes to facilitate fraud.
E.g. A 2025 cyber-cell report highlighted digital arrest scams where fraudsters pose as investigative officers to extort money.
• Weak Local Oversight: While central agencies are strong, village and municipal-level oversight bodies often remain underfunded or captured by local elites.
E.g. The 2024 Sandeshkhali incidents showcased how local power structures can suppress complaints and institutional accountability for years.
Way Ahead:
• Institutional Independence: Granting greater autonomy and fixed tenures to heads of investigative agencies like the CBI and ED.
• Fast-Track Courts: Establishing dedicated courts that must conclude corruption trials within a strict 1-year timeframe.
• Protection of Civic Space: Strengthening the safety of journalists and activists to ensure a robust social audit of government actions.
• Political Finance Reform: Implementing a more transparent and public-funded election model to reduce the need for illicit corporate funding.
• Educational Integration: Incorporating Integrity and Ethics as a mandatory part of school and civil service training to shift the cultural mindset.
Conclusion:
India’s rise to 91st rank is a positive sign of incremental progress, but the low score of 39 warns that systemic corruption remains a heavy drag on economic growth and social trust. Moving forward, the focus must shift from symbolic reforms to substantive enforcement and protecting those who speak truth to power. Only through sustained institutional integrity can India hope to break into the top tier of the index.
Q. Explain how conflict of interest operates as a gateway to corruption in public decision-making. Suggest safeguards to manage and disclose conflicts of interest. (10 M)