As seen in the info-graphic below, India’s performance on the Global Corruption Perception Index (GCI) for 2017 has improved from pre-2014 days. Since 2013, India has improved both its score as well as ranking on the GCI. In 2013, India had a score of 36, today it has a score of 40. In 2013, India was ranked 94 out of 177 countries. In 2017, it has been ranked 81 out of 180 countries.
However, with the publication of Transparency International’s Global Corruption Index for 2017, sections of the media and political commentators wasted no time in offering their opinion. Much of this turned out to be fake propaganda distorting facts and spreading apparent lies. Below is journalist Sagarika Ghose who tweeted the following:
Some media outlets ran headlines too, claiming that India has slipped on the GCI:
In light of the facts presented above, we can see that these claims range from distortion of facts to outright factual inaccuracy. When we see the detailed facts about India’s score and ranking over the years, the fake propaganda being spread by sections of the media and the commentariat becomes even starker.
THE DETAILED FACTS
For the benefit of Sagarika Ghose and everybody else spinning the GCI rankings to argue that India has become worse in terms of corruption in 2017 than in 2016, below are the plain facts:
- India’s rank in 2016 was 79 out of 176 countries
- In 2017, India was ranked 81 out of 180 countries
- So, in effect, India’s ranking has improved
- Again, India’s score was 40 in 2016
- This score has not changed in 2017. Therefore, India has not performed any worse in terms of corruption in 2017
- Now, the 2016 score of 40 was better than the score of 38 in 2015
- In 2014, out of 174 countries, India was ranked 85, with a score of 38
- In 2012 and 2013, India’s score was 36 for each year
- In 2013, India’s score was 36 and it was ranked 94
- Therefore, not only has India improved its performance 2014 onwards but it is doing much better now
- The two-notch dip in 2017 is because of one additional state above and one state moving up on the list
- In sum, not only has India’s score improved from 36 in pre-2014 days to 40 now, but India’s rank has also improved from 94 in pre-2014 days to 81 now.
Let us see the GCI tables below:
Therefore, much like the fake propaganda that sections of the media and commentariat spread immediately after the Global Hunger Index came out last year, the release of Transparency International’s Global Corruption Perception Index has also sent some of the same people rushing to spread the same kind of fake propaganda as seen in Ms Ghose’s tweet above.
(the article was first published on www.thetruepicture.in)
