Corruption

The word corrupt (Middle English, from Latin corruptus) when used as an adjective
literally means "utterly broken“. In modern English usage the
words corruption and corrupt have many meanings.
Forms of corruption vary, but include bribery, extortion, cronyism, nepotism, patronage,
graft, and embezzlement.
While corruption may facilitate criminal enterprise such as drug trafficking, money
laundering, and human trafficking, it is not restricted to these activities.
The activities that constitute illegal corruption differ depending on the country or
jurisdiction. For instance, certain political funding practices that are legal in one place
may be illegal in another.
In some cases, government officials have broad or poorly defined powers, which make it
difficult to distinguish between legal and illegal actions.
Worldwide, bribery alone is estimated to involve over 1 trillion US dollars annually.A
state of unrestrained political corruption is known as a kleptocracy, literally meaning
"rule by thieves".

Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI)

The Corruption Perceptions Index scores countries on a scale from 0 to 10, with 0 indicating
high levels of perceived corruption and 10 indicating low levels of perceived corruption. This
is an indirect measure of Corruption where a sample of population is polled about their
perception of the level of Corruption present in a region or service. Somalia and Burma share
the lowest score of 1.4. The CPI draws on 16 different polls and surveys from 10 independent
institutions
The list is taken from 14 different surveys carried out by 12 research institutions. The survey
focuses on corruption in the public sector and among politicians, and the organisation defines
corruption as 'the misuse of entrusted power for private gain'.

Corruption in India
According to Transparency International, a global NGO committed to fighting corruption
which studied 180 countries this year, India's ranking has improved from 70th in 2006 to
72nd in 2007. The organisation studied 163 countries in 2006. Corruption has taken the role
of a persistent aspect of Indian politics and administration

Institutions dealing with political corruption

 Transparency International, a non-governmental organization that monitors and

publicizes corporate and political corruption in international development
 Global Witness, an international NGO established in 1993 that works to break the links
between natural resource exploitation, conflict, poverty, corruption, and human rights
abuses worldwide
 Group of States Against Corruption, a body established under the Council of Europe to
monitor the implementation of instruments adopted by member states to combat political
corruption