Arunachal CM asks officials to weed out corruption, create

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Monday exhorted officials to work hard to root out corruption from the state.

At an interactive session with the heads of departments and government officers at Pasighat in East Siang district, Khandu said the state along with Nagaland has earned a bad reputation for failing to contain corrupt practices, an official release said.

"Those in position today must take the lead. We cannot expect things to get better later," the chief minister was quoted as saying by the release.

Khandu also said that the state was eager to march ahead in all spheres and invited ideas from the officials on the matter.

"Arunachal is a blessed land and has the potential to become one of the richest states in India. Looking after the welfare of 1.4 million people in the state should not be a Herculean task if there is a will to serve," the CM said.

Calling bureaucrats the "main pillars of a government", Khandu said their selfless contribution is vital for the growth of the state.

"Politician comes and goes but bureaucrats are there to stay. They play a greater role in creating a better system," he said.

Stating that he would never go for appeasement politics, Khandu said his dream is to make Arunachal a better place.

He assured the officials that he would run the government without fear to serve the interests of his people.