Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday said that his government would move “decisively” to curb corruption and inflation, citing the nation’s “past record in dealing with difficult situations”.
The comments, made during an address to state Governors, come at a time when the government
faces tough questions over a series of scandals.
The Prime Minister pledged that his government would “do its utmost to improve transparency and accountability” in the work of public authorities and was committed to taking all possible measures to “curb corruption in administration”.
Addressing Governors at their annual conclave, Singh said the Centre needed to pay more attention to official advice from governors, whose monthly reports often relate to vital developments. “I agree that there is scope for benefiting more from the analysis and advice of Governors,” he said.
“Apart from the Lokpal Bill, a bill to amend the Land Acquisition Act has also been introduced in Parliament,” he said.
The Prime Minister said he expected the state governments also to act similarly so that these efforts touch all levels of governance across the country.
‘Checking inflation’
The immediate challenge before the country was to sustain a high growth path, Singh said, while keeping inflation in check.
He called on the governors to impress upon their respective state governors to modify archaic farm marketing laws to moderate food prices.
Singh said in the longer term the key to tackling rising food prices lay in increasing productivity and production in agriculture and allied sectors. He said food prices can be checked if there is enough supply to meet the demands of the country’s growing population.