Goa govt sets one-year deadline to weed out corruption

Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar on Wednesday set a one-year deadline from August 16 onwards to clamp down on corruption at lower level in the state.

Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar on Wednesday set a one-year deadline from August 16 onwards to clamp down on corruption at lower level in the state.

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"The state government aims to weed out corruption from the state by the next Independence Day," Parrikar said, addressing a crowd after unfurling the Tricolour near the Old Secretariat.

He said corruption at higher level has reduced in the state, but it does exist at the lower levels.

"The state government had given time till August 15 for the officers to reform their corrupt habits. Now the time is over. We will start acting on such officers who continue corrupt practice. They will have to face the music," he said.

"I have purposely not been saying zero corruption should be there. But the level of tolerance towards corruption should be zero, so corruption will come to a negligible level," Parrikar said.

Later, addressing a gathering of police officers, the chief minister appealed them to root out corruption at lower level.

"The police department should have a vision and also zeal to execute it," he stressed.

"The government will stress on three crucial aspects – knowledge without character, politics without principles and vision without execution," he said.

"What's the use of you having vision to shun drugs and prostitution in the state, if you don't know to execute it," Parrikar questioned, adding that the department should not get politically influenced.

"Don't get politically influenced beyond a certain limit. There are areas where politicians can come with the request, for example traffic plan for the city. But in case of anti-criminal activities don't allow political influence," the chief minister advised.

The state has been progressing rapidly and government will initiate the measures required to change the lives of common people, Parrikar assured.

The growth on agriculture sector is aimed at six per cent this financial year, and the government has launched several schemes for the benefit of common people, he asserted.