Abdul Kalam is India's 'most trusted' person

Former President APJ Abdul Kalam is India's 'most trusted' person, followed by industrialist Ratan Tata and former police officer Kiran Bedi.

An online survey to identity the 100 most trusted Indians - conducted for Reader's Digest by market research group The Digital Edge - has thrown up quite a few surprises. The survey, which will be published in the latest issue of the magazine, had sought responses on celebrities from different fields.

Infosys co-founder Narayan Murthy is placed fourth while music composer A R Rahman is next, followed by chess champion Vishwanathan Anand.

PM Manomhan Singh ranks only seventh on the list while cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and cartoonist R. K. Laxman have bagged the eighth and ninth positions.

The tenth rank is shared by ISRO chairman G. Madhavan Nair, economist Amartya Sen and Wipro chief Azim Premji.

Unique Identity Authority of India chairman Nandan Nilekani, actor Amitabh Bachchan and ArcelorMittal chairman Lakshmi Mittal also figure in the top 15.

Social activists Prakash and Mandakini Amte and Anna Hazare share the 20th position. Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain is placed 16th while cardiologist Devi Shetty is ranked next.

Rahul Gandhi is 29th on the list. Sonia Gandhi is in the 72nd position while BJP leader L K Advani is placed 94th.

The survey invited 5,000 people, but a target of 761 people from more than 30 Indian cities, who responded first, were included in the poll.

The survey also solicited responses on the 40 most trusted professions where teachers enjoyed a clear lead. Firefighters were second and farmers third. Politicians were ranked 40th while journalists were a little better at the 30th place.