Surprise! Jammu and Kashmir has been decorated with a Medal for Being "Alarmingly Corrupt"

Transparency International exposes the underbelly of Kashmir's secret weapon (corruption) that ensures a status quo among the rich and the powerful in the State

JK among top 4 corrupt states: TI

GK NEWS NETWORK

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir is in the list of top four corrupt states of India in “national corruption index” of a survey done by Transparency International.

The state-by-state survey by Transparency International India and the Centre for Media Studies, New Delhi places four Indian states in its “Alarmingly Corrupt” category. These are -Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. The next rung of “Very Highly Corrupt” states include Karnataka - which was ranked 17th in a 2005 Transparency International India survey - Rajasthan as well as Tamil Nadu. Not as notorious but still “Highly Corrupt” are the five states of Chhatisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Kerala and Orissa. Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Uttarakhand and West Bengal are the “Moderately Corrupt” states of India.

The survey is a part of efforts by Transparency International India to reduce corruption by promoting and supporting transparent and ethical practices in the Government sector. Transparency International had randomly selected a sample of 22,728 BPL households from all across the country, including Bangalore, Bidar, Raichur and Chitradurga. The BPL families were surveyed to ascertain which were the most unhappy and extorted lot and in which state. The police department in all these states tops the corruption chart followed by others including the Forest Department, Land Records / Registration and Housing. Electricity, banking, education, water supply and the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme fell under the other corrupt services.

The survey ascertained that nearly Rs 883 crore was paid as bribes in the year 2007 by BPL families to avail of these public services - which include getting a ration card as well as for admissions in schools. Of the entire bribe money, Rs 214.8 crore was paid to the police.