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PM Modi addresses CVC-CBI joint meet, hails digital tools in checking corruption
“In the last 6-7 years, the government has succeeded in instilling the confidence that it is possible to contain corruption,” the Prime Minister said at the CVC conference. “Today there is the political will to attack corruption at the administrative level.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday virtually addressed a joint conference of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Gujarat, in which he hailed a New India which is increasingly using digital tools to push back against age-old corrupt practices. Declaring that India of the 21st-century “innovates, initiates, and implements”, Prime Minister Modi said that people here are seeking a transparent system, efficient processes, and smooth governance. This, he said, will be made possible through the implementation of new-age digital tools.
“In the last 6-7 years, the government has succeeded in instilling the confidence that it is possible to contain corruption,” the Prime Minister said at the CVC conference. “Today there is the political will to attack corruption and continuous improvement is also being carried out at the administrative level.”
“New India is no longer ready to accept that corruption is part of the system,” said Prime Minister Modi. He added that his government trusts citizens instead of doubting their intentions; barriers were removed and long redundancies in the system were ended with the use of technology. “This approach of trust and technology has strengthened efficient governance and ease of doing business,” said Prime Minister Modi.
Speaking of the ways in which digital technology has aided in streamlining the bureaucratic processes by eliminating corruption, the Prime Minister pointed out that long queues to avail of government services have now been significantly reduced. Citizens can now directly claim the benefits from government portals instead of resorting to corrupt middlemen who took a cut of the revenue.
“Thousands of compliance certificates and NOCs were needed till now, which led to corruption; all this has been eliminated,” the Prime Minister said. “The processes have been made faceless. Due to the increased digital footprints, it has become easier for investigating agencies to conduct probes.”
Prime Minister Modi also reminded citizens that although it is the government that has made laws, its implementation is the responsibility of every citizen. He also called upon the officers of CBI and CVC to rededicate themselves to abolish corruption from all walks of national life. Pointing out that “corruption takes away the rights of people and hinders the pursuit of justice for all”, Modi urged the officials to work towards the nation’s progress and increase the collective power of the nation.
Recalling his Independence Day call for simplification of laws and procedures, the Prime Minister called upon CVC and CBI, and other anti-corruption institutions to remove such processes that come in the way of new India. “You need to strengthen New India’s policy of zero tolerance for corruption. You need to implement laws in a way that poor come close to the system and the corrupt moves out of it”, the Prime Minister concluded.
