BY: D.K Choudhary
India Has Highest Bribery Rate Among 16 Asia-Pacific Nations: Transparency International Survey
i. According to the Global Corruption Barometer for the Asia Pacific Region released by Transparency International on March 7, in Berlin for 16 Asia Pacific countries, India tops the list for being the most corrupt nation.
ii. According to the survey, about 69 percent of the population in India paid bribe to get their work done.
iii. India was followed by Vietnam (65%), Thailand (41%), Cambodia, Pakistan and Myanmar, each with 40%.
iv. Besides, China (26%) was one of the least corrupt nations and it was the lowest in Japan (0.2%).
Vice President Hamid Ansari Attends IORA Summit in Jakarta
Vice President Hamid Ansari was on a two-day visit to Indonesia to attend the 21-nation Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia from March 6-7, 2017.
♦ Theme: ‘Strengthening Maritime Cooperation for a Peaceful, Stable and Prosperous Indian Ocean’
♦ During the meet of the 21 IORA nation, Ansari laid emphasis on connectivity, open maritime trade and rights of navigation as well as cooperation among the think tanks of the member countries for strategies to meet the conventional and non-conventional threats.
♦ He urged Indian Ocean Rim Association states to show zero tolerance towards state sponsored terrorism and impose strong sanctions on the promoters and financiers of the menace.
♦ The member nations also stressed on the need to work together in order to eliminate the growth and spread of terrorism and violent extremism in society.
Key Highlights of the Summit
During the Summit, Indian Ocean Rim Association adopted four documents to make Indian Ocean peaceful, stable, and prosperous region. Theses include:
i. The Declaration on Preventing and Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism
1.IORA Concord
2.IORA Action Plan
3.Joint Declaration of the IORA business Community to Build Partnership for a Sustainable and Equitable Economic Growth.
ii. The Declaration on Preventing and Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism is an agreement of the IORA member states about the importance of countering terrorism.
iii. The IORA Concord, also called Jakarta Concord, is a strategic document containing the vision and norms of the future of cooperation among the member countries with an aim of strengthening the regional architecture to face its challenges.
iv. The IORA Action Plan is a document containing the implementation actions of the Jakarta Concord. It also strengthens the implementation of priority areas and cross-sectoral commitments.
Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Members
♦ The 21 nation IORA association comprises India, Australia, Bangladesh, Comoros, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
♦ Besides, it also has seven Dialogue Partners namely the US, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Japan and the UK.
