1/3 Indians 'utterly corrupt'

NEW DELHI - ALMOST one-third of Indians are 'utterly corrupt' and half are 'borderline', the outgoing head of the country's corruption watchdog has said, blaming increased wealth for much of the problem.

Transparency International, the global anti-graft body, puts India 84th on its corruption perception index with a 3.4-point rating, out of a best possible score of 10. New Zealand ranks first with 9.4 points and Somalia last on 1.1 points.

The campaign group has said that each year millions of poor Indian families have to bribe officials for access to basic public services. MORE