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Comments follow almost two weeks of anti-graft street protests led by elderly Gandhian social activist
Corruption has dented India's international image, resulting in a loss of competitive efficiency with international businesses not willing to invest in the country, a top Indian policy maker was quoted as saying in the Hindustan Times on Thursday.
"Many big international players are not willing to invest in India because of their perception of corruption in the government," said Montek Singh Ahluwalia, deputy chairperson of India's Planning Commission, which charts the country's growth path. "We need more transparency and reforms to reduce corruption at all levels," he said, adding that graft has impacted India "morally" and "economically".
Ahluwalia's comments follow almost two weeks of anti-graft street protests led by an elderly Gandhian social activist who staged a hunger strike to pressure parliament to pledge to pass a strong law to combat corruption. He rallied many from India's urban middle classes fed up with paying bribes.
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