India has fallen three places to 87th in Transparency International's latest Corruption Perceptions Index, in which 178 countries were surveyed. India's integrity score has fallen to 3.3 out of 10 in 2010 while it was 3.5 in 2007 and 3.4 in 2008 and 2009. Transparency International India chairman P.S. Bawa on Tuesday said the recent damaging revelations in the Commonwealth games contracts seems to have increased the perception about corruption and...

The high-level committee set up by the Centre to look into the conduct of the Commonwealth games would have a much broader mandate, going beyond allegations of corruption and misappropriation of funds. Even while focussing on “alleged misappropriation, irregularities, wasteful expenditure and wrongdoings in the conduct of the Games,” the terms of reference of the panel approved on Monday include examination of “weaknesses” in management and issues relating to coordination among...

In reply to an RTI query filed by the People's Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR) in August, the labour department of Delhi government has said that it does not have consolidated figures on the labour deaths reported during the Commonwealth games  preparations. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) had separately filed an affidavit in the high court in September which said that 109 workers had died on its sites during...

The Central Vigilance Commission has received complaints that put the cumulative value of alleged corruption in projects related to the Commonwealth games between Rs 5,000 crore and Rs 8,000 crore. Sources said the complaints included payment to non-existent parties, wilful delay in execution of contracts, inflated prices and bungling in purchase of equipment through tendering. “The total misappropriation amount may touch a figure of Rs 5,000-8,000 crore. The commission is still awaiting reports...

More than 200 tax investigators in India have searched the offices of a number of contractors used in the run-up to the Commonwealth games. The raids in Delhi came as the main opposition party, the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), demanded a parliamentary investigation. The Games, which ended last week in Delhi, were marred by spiralling costs and allegations of corruption. The BJP says it has evidence of wrongdoing at government...