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PM urges CVC to tackle corruption with an iron fist, hails ‘Atmanirbharta’ in defence
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday launched a ‘complaint management system’ portal of the CVC that will allow citizens to raise corruption complaints digitally
The possibility of scams in India’s defence sector is ‘ending’ as the country is moving towards ‘Atmanirbharta’ (self-reliance) by manufacturing its own defence equipment, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday, assuring officials and institutions that they need not be ‘defensive’ while acting against corruption and the corrupt.
Addressing a programme to mark the ‘vigilance awareness week’ of Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) at Delhi’s Vigyan Bhawan, the PM said that the ‘corrupt’ should not get any “political-social” support and should not be protected under any circumstances, no matter how powerful they are.
Modi, highlighting how ‘too much dependence’ on foreign goods over the years has been a big cause of corruption in the country, said, “We know how the defence sector was kept dependent on foreign countries, which was a major reason for corruption. Our government’s push towards Atmanirbharta in the defence sector has ended the possibility of scams as India is now moving towards manufacturing its own defence equipment, from rifles to fighter jets to transport aircraft.”
The same self-reliance approach is being replicated in other fields as well, he said.
The PM emphasised that institutions like the CVC that are acting against corruption need not be defensive in any way, and that there is no requirement to work on any political agenda but towards making the lives of ordinary citizens simpler.
“Those who have vested interests will try to obstruct the proceedings and defame individuals associated with these institutions,” the PM said, adding “but people are like God, they know and test the truth, and when the time comes, they stand with those in support of the truth”.
“The resolve which the government is showing against corruption must be seen in all departments. For a developed India, we have to develop an administrative ecosystem that has zero tolerance on corruption,” he said.
Asserting that there is a need to involve the common mass to keep a vigil over corruption, Modi said, “No matter how powerful the corrupt may be, they should not be saved in any circumstances...it is the responsibility of organisations like you (he told the hall full of officials from anti-corruption agencies).”
“No corrupt person should get political-social support...every corrupt person should be put in the dock by the society...it is also necessary to create this environment,” he said.
These corrupt people, Modi added, “are often glorified in spite of being jailed even after their conviction. Some people give arguments in favour of the corrupt who have been found guilty. It is very necessary that such people, such forces are made aware of their duty by the society. Concrete actions taken by your department(s) also have a huge role to play in this.”
“When you take action with conviction, the whole nation stands with you,” the PM told the officials.
PM Modi, on this occasion, also launched a ‘complaint management system’ portal of the CVC that will allow citizens to raise corruption complaints digitally, besides checking their progress in a user-friendly way.
Also Read:‘No matter how powerful…’: PM Modi’s firm message on corruption
Lamenting the actions of previous governments, the PM said the legacy from the long period of slavery, corruption, exploitation and control over resources, unfortunately, amplified after Independence, which further harmed four generations of the country.
“For a very long time, people were deliberately deprived of amenities and opportunities and the widening of this gap led to an unhealthy competition of a zero-sum race. This race fed the ecosystem of corruption. Corruption created by this scarcity affects the poor and the middle class the most. If the poor and middle class spend their energy to arrange for basic amenities, how will the country progress? That is why we have been striving to change this system of scarcity and pressure for the past eight years. We are trying to fill the gap between supply and demand. The three ways adopted to achieve this are advancement in technology, taking basic services to the saturation level, and heading towards ‘Atmanirbharta’ (self-reliance),” the PM said.
The PM also suggested continuous monitoring of criminal cases and urged the authorities to devise a way to rank departments based on the pending corruption cases along the lines of ‘swachhta’ (cleanliness) rankings; and publish related reports on a monthly or quarterly basis.
“There is a need to audit the data of public grievances so that we can get to the root of the causes behind corruption in the concerned department,” he said.
Anti-corruption watchdog CVC is observing the vigilance awareness week from October 31 to November 6 on the theme of ‘corruption-free India for a developed nation’.
