Domestic Corruption Index
October 3, 2015
Domestic Corruption Index*
According to media reports, Centre is developing methodologies to compile health and education indices on the lines of indices for industrial production. Perhaps any progress in promoting economic growth and improving life in India is more dependent on managing corruption at an acceptable level! For the purpose, without leaving the ‘job’ to government, the intellectual leadership of India should take up a project to assess the extent of corruption at various levels in India. This could be done by scientifically evolving appropriate methodologies for computing a domestic ‘Corruption Indices’, separately for individuals, institutions, organisations and government departments.
To initiate the debate let me introduce the idea of a domestic ‘Corruption Index’.
There have been efforts to measure corruption with reference to various practices in different nations and rank countries according to their status in comparison with others in the group. But, one, it is no use knowing our position with reference to others and two, corruption has more dimensions than illegal practices or bribes. As our government encourages ‘self-regulation’ these days in different areas, why not attempt a regulatory mechanism outside the statute book for assessing and quantifying corruption? Here is a model, which can be developed further.
A central ‘Corruption Indexing Organization’ (CIO) will you a rating of the person, department, organization (including a political party)/institution on a scale of, say, hundred, how deeply sunk they are in corruption, based on parameters explained to you? There can be several such CIOs specializing in different walks of life. Of course, the functioning will be fee-based and independent of government except for overall regulation, may be through a registration arrangement. The Corruption Index Card, like Aadhaar card, can be made mandatory for various purposes, where the card-holder accesses public funds.
M G WARRIER, Mumbai
*For a more detailed analysis, please see Chapter IV-1 Eradicating Corruption in my 2014 book "Banking, Reforms & Corruption: Development Issues in 21st Century India"
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