Corruption hurts social balance, fighting it is a shared responsibility: PM

Calls for synergy among central and state probe agencies, says corruption, money laundering, terror fundings are all inter-related

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that systemic checks, effective audits, and capacity building are essential to fight corruption. He said corruption hurts not just development but social balance as well.
 
He said his administration has been emphasising that there should neither be pressure from the government nor should the government be found lacking. This is why it has abolished at least 1,500 rules, and also eased norms with respect to pension, water, electricity bill, bank loans, passport etc.
 
“It is important for development that our administrative processes are transparent, accountable and answerable to people. Corruption is the biggest enemy of all these processes,” he said during a conference on vigilance and anti-corruption week, kicked off on Tuesday.

 

Modi said that fighting corruption is not a job of a single agency but a collective responsibility. There has to be synergy among central and state probe agencies as cooperative spirit is essential to check corruption, he said, adding that corruption, money laundering, terror fundings, are all interrelated. 
 
The Prime Minister said that there used to be a whole racket working in transfer posting. People were using political influence for appointments and transfers. The government has abolished interviews for group A and group B appointments to bring transparency and reduce corruption.
 
Besides, new laws like the Black Money Act and Benami Prohibition Act have set an example worldwide. Schemes like faceless tax assessment, Bank Board Bureau have been implemented successfully. “There is a lot of focus on technology and probe agencies are being provided with the latest infrastructure and equipment, so that they can work effectively and give desired outcome," he said.

 
Modi said that India is facing a crucial issue of dynastic corruption which has hollowed out the country. “If one generation of corruption is not punished, the next generation commits corruption with more power. Due to this  it became a tradition," he said.
 
He said the country is preparing to celebrate Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s birth anniversary and called him an architect of India’s administration.