• Anjali Bharadwaj, an Indian social activist working on issues of transparency and accountability, is one of the 12 anti-corruption champions announced by the Biden administration.

    • As per US State Department, International Anti-Corruption Champions Award, recognise individuals who have worked tirelessly, often in the face of adversity, to defend transparency, combat corruption, and ensure accountability in their own countries.

    • Further it states that US was the first to criminalise foreign bribery and, in partnership with foreign counterparts, have recovered and returned more than USD 1 billion in stolen public assets in the past two years alone.

    • Bhardwaj has served as an active member of the Right to Information Movement in India for over two decades.

    • The 48-year-old activist is also the founder of the Satark Nagrik Sangathan (SNS), a citizens' group with a mandate to promote transparency and accountability in government and encourage active participation of citizens.

    • She is also a convener of the National Campaign for Peoples’ Right to Information, which successfully advocated for the creation of an anti-corruption ombudsman and the Whistle Blowers’ Protection Act, offering protection to those who expose corruption and abuse of power.

    • In addition to Bharadwaj, the other honourees are:

        ◦ Ardian Dvorani of Albania, Diana Salazar of Ecuador

        ◦ Sophia Pretrick of Micronesia

        ◦ Juan Francisco Sandoval Alfaro of Guatemala

        ◦ Ibrahima Kalil Gueye of Guinea

        ◦ Dhuha A Mohammed of Iraq

        ◦ Bolot Temirov of Kyrgyz Republic

        ◦ Mustafa Abdullah Sanalla of Libya

        ◦ Victor Sotto of The Philippines

        ◦ Francis Ben Kaifala of Sierra Leone

        ◦ Ruslan Ryaboshapka of Ukraine.

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants. The views expressed here are personal.)