(This story originally appeared in on Apr 28, 2017)

NEW DELHI: Karnataka occupies the first slot in a list of states perceived to be corrupt on the basis of people’s experience in paying bribes for public services, a survey conducted by an NGO has revealed. Karnataka is followed by Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Jammu & Kashmir and Punjab.The Centre for Media Studies survey, which covered 20 states, found Himachal Pradesh, Kerala and Chhattisgarh to be the least corrupt. The report said around one-third of the households experienced corruption in public services at least once during the last one year in comparison to about 53% of households that admitted to paying bribes during a similar study in 2005.The survey covered 3,000 odd persons, both in urban and rural areas. It also claimed that more than half of the respondents felt that the level of corruption had decreased in public services during the demonetisation phase of November and December 2016.The report estimated that the total bribe paid by households across 20 states and 10 public services was Rs 6,350 crore in 2017 as against Rs 20,500 crore in 2005. However, the study indicated how a lot still remained to be done to reduce corruption in public services.