India bribery report: About 66 percent of business companies in 159 districts across the country have paid bribes in the last 12 months. This shocking revelation has been made in a recent report released by LocalCircles. This survey received 18,000 responses, in which 54 percent of the companies admitted that they were forced to pay bribes, while 46 percent of the companies voluntarily paid bribes to speed up the process.

Reasons and process for giving bribe

The report said that many companies, on the condition of anonymity, said that paying bribes to expedite the permit or compliance process from government departments has become a common practice. Paying bribes is especially common in matters related to obtaining duplicate copies of authority licenses or property. 66 percent of the businesses surveyed said that they had to pay bribes in the last 12 months.

Why are companies forced to pay bribes?

54 percent of the businesses surveyed said they were forced to pay bribes, while 46 percent paid bribes to get their tasks completed on time. The report takes a serious view of the issue, saying it is a form of extortion where permits, supplier qualifications, files, orders, and payments are routinely withheld when dealing with government agencies.

Despite computerization and CCTV, the practice of giving bribes continues

The report also said that despite computerization, and CCTV surveillance in many places, the practice of paying bribes behind closed doors continues. Traders admitted that they had to pay bribes to various government entities to qualify as suppliers, obtain quotations and orders, and collect payments.

75% of the bribes were given to officials of the legal, food and health departments

The companies participating in the survey also reported that 75% of the bribes were paid to officials in the legal, metrology, food, drug, and health departments. This shows that corruption is rampant in many important and sensitive sectors.