Page 15 - Corruption

There is no dearth of political will to act against corruption: PM Modi

There is no dearth of political will today to act against corruption and officers should take action against the corrupt, however powerful, without any hesitation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday. Addressing a gathering at the diamond jubilee celebrations of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the prime minister said corruption is the biggest roadblock to democracy and justice and the agency's key responsibility is to free India from it. It is the desire of the people of the country that no corrupt should be spared, he said. He said those who benefitted from corruption for decades have created an ecosystem which attacks the probe agencies. But the agencies should not to be deterred by stories about power of the corrupt and their ecosystem to tarnish them. "These people will keep distracting you, but you have to focus on your work. No corrupt person should be spared. There should be no laxity in our efforts. This is the wish of the country, this is the wish of the

Bhrashtachari bhagao abhiyan: Kharge hits back at PM over corruption jibe

Hitting back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his corruption jibe at the Opposition, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday accused him of running a "bhrashtachari bhagao abhiyan" (make the corrupt flee campaign) and said he must stop his image makeover by posing as an anti-corruption crusader. Addressing a gathering after inaugurating an extension of the BJP headquarters here on Tuesday, Modi linked the coming together of opposition parties against the BJP to his government's campaign against corruption and said "anti-India" forces are attacking constitutional institutions -- the strong foundation of a rising India -- to stall the country's growth. Reacting to the remarks, Kharge in a tweet in Hindi said, "Narendra Modi ji, whose Rs 20,000 crore is invested in Adani shell companies?" "Are Lalit Modi, Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, Vijay Mallya, Jatin Mehta etc. members of your 'bhrashtachari bhagao abhiyan'? Are you the convenor of this alliance? Stop your image makeover

Not prosecuted anyone to date, Lokpal's performance far from satisfactory

Anti-corruption ombudsman Lokpal has not prosecuted a single person accused of graft to date and its performance seems to be far from satisfactory, a Parliamentary panel has said and asked it to act as an enabler rather than an inhibitor. In a report tabled in Parliament recently, it said several complaints are being disposed of by the Lokpal on the ground that they are not in the prescribed format and asked it not to reject genuine complaints. The panel raised a query about the non-filling up of the post of the chairperson of Lokpal, which has been vacant since May last year, and sought the government's response on the action being taken to fill up the vacancies. "The Committee infers from the data provided by the Lokpal that a large number of complaints are being disposed of on the ground that they are not in the prescribed format. Lokpal has submitted to the Committee that it has not prosecuted even a single person accused of graft till date," it said. The panel said it is of th

Why are the police trying to arrest Imran Khan? All that you need to know

On Tuesday, Islamabad Police showed up at Imran Khan's Lahore residence - Zaman Park- to arrest him but were met with resistance from hundreds of his supporters

Corruption charges against me despite working honestly for 8 yrs: Sisodia

AAP leader Manish Sisodia in his resignation letter said that it is unfortunate that despite working with honesty and truthfulness continuously for eight years, corruption charges are being levelled

Corruption at peak, morale of criminals high: BJP attacks Soren govt

The opposition BJP in Jharkhand attacked the Hemant Soren government on Tuesday, alleging that corruption was at its peak in the state, and incidents of murder and rape were increasing. Participating in a discussion on the Motion of Thanks to Governor CP Radhakrishnan's address in the assembly, BJP chief whip Biranchi Narayan alleged that law and order has taken a backseat in the state with government officers and political leaders patronising criminals. Transfers and postings of officials have become a "profitable trade" in the state, he said. "The governor's speech was a bundle of lies... The government is a failure on all fronts -- Health, Irrigation, Power and Roads... Corruption is at its peak," he alleged. Members of the ruling coalition opposed his comments with Congress MLA Deepika Pandey Singh alleging that cases of corruption were reported during the BJP government as well. Claiming that no one is safe in Jharkhand, Narayan referred to the attacks on doctors in the ...

India will deepen G20 commitments to counter corruption globally: Minister

Jitendra Singh said India will reaffirm unified action to ensure zero tolerance against corruption and deepen G20 commitments towards countering corruption globally at the first ACWG of G20

E-tendering part of govt's zero-tolerance towards corruption: Khattar

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Wednesday asserted that the e-tendering system started by his government in Panchayati Raj Institutions is to bring more transparency in development works. He said transparency in all spheres of governance is part of his government's policy of zero-tolerance towards corruption. "With this system, we have empowered urban local bodies and Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs). The duty of panchayats is to ensure smooth execution of development work, while providing timely funds for the same is our job," Khattar said. The chief minister was replying to the Governor's address here this evening during the ongoing Budget Session of the Haryana assembly. Several sarpanches in the state have been protesting the introduction of e-tendering for execution of development works in rural areas. During his reply on various issues raised by legislators during the debate on the Governor's address, Khattar and Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda sha

Best of BS Opinion: Hindenburg flames again, the case for baby RBIs & more

India's stock markets face a big shock. And should the central bank be unbundled? Our weekend fare

Adani group firm shares tank by up to 9% following Hindenburg report

Seven listed entities suffer a cumulative Rs 85,761 crore erosion in market value

Ukraine's corruption scandal claims jobs of several top officials

Several senior Ukrainian officials, including front-line governors, lost their jobs Tuesday in a corruption scandal plaguing President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's government as it grapples with the nearly 11-month-old Russian invasion. Ukraine's biggest government shake-up since the war began came as U.S. officials said Washington was poised to approve supplying Kyiv with M1 Abrams tanks, with international reluctance eroding toward sending tanks to the battlefront against the Russians. Zelenskyy was elected in 2019 on an anti-establishment and anti-corruption platform in a country long gripped by graft, and the new allegations come as Western allies are channeling billions of dollars to help Kyiv fight against Moscow. Officials in several countries, including the United States, have demanded more accountability for the aid, given Ukraine's rampant corruption. While Zelenskyy and his aides portray the resignations and firings as proof of their efforts to crack down, the wartime scandal .

Contractors stage protest ahead of PM's visit to K'taka over 'commissions'

Thousands of contractors from across the state have slammed the ruling BJP over "40 per cent commission", saying that they are staging symbolic protests to send a warning signal to the government

Amid heavy ruckus in Delhi Assembly, AAP MLA waves bundle of notes

"The contractors collect the money from staffs. I complained to the DCP, CS and L-G. Despite the complaint, no action has been taken so far"

Probe into alleged corruption in FCI a wake-up call: Piyush Goyal

Food Minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday termed the CBI investigation into alleged corruption in Food Corporation of India (FCI) a "wake-up call" for the state-owned firm and asserted that those involved in corrupt practices will not be spared. FCI - the government's nodal agency for procurement and distribution of foodgrains - would follow the principle of zero tolerance for corruption, the minister said. Goyal stated this while delivering the inaugural address at the 59th Foundation Day of FCI here, an official statement said. It's a wake-up call for the organisation and those found involved in corrupt practices will not be spared, Goyal was quoted as saying while referring to the ongoing investigation into the alleged cases of corruption in FCI. He said FCI will follow the principle of zero tolerance for corruption and there is a need to ensure that there is not a single corrupt employee in FCI. Goyal directed the officials to institutionalise a mechanism wherein whistleblowers .

Zero corruption in Road Transport and Highways Ministry: Nitin Gadkari

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said there is zero corruption in his Ministry. He said the cost escalation in the national highway projects is almost nil, and he does not allow the contractors to meet him. "The cost escalation is almost nil. Every year we do projects worth Rs five lakh crore and so far I have done Rs 50 lakh crore worth works. I don't allow contractors to meet me. There is zero corruption in our (NHAI) work," Gadkari said. He was speaking to reporters here after inspecting the Bengaluru-Mysuru Highway work. According to him, his Ministry has improved the technical and financial qualification so that the project cost is below 35 per cent to 38 per cent. "We are strict about the quality. If you have suspicion about the quality of work then you please let me know," Gadkari said. To a query on the enormous delay in completing the Bengaluru-Mysuru Highway, the Minister said the project was caught in legal problem for quite some

Those involved in corruption will be thrown out of TMC: Abhishek Banerjee

Anyone in the Trinamool Congress found guilty of involvement in corruption will be immediately shown the door, party's national General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee said on Sunday

Maharashtra legislature: Oppn members accuse Shinde govt of corruption

Opposition members staged a demonstration by taking out a foot march like 'warkaris' in the Maharashtra legislature complex on Tuesday and accused the Eknath Shinde-led state government of indulging in corruption. On Monday, both Houses of the Maharashtra legislature were adjourned for the day after the opposition stalled the proceedings demanding Agriculture Minister Abdul Sattar's resignation over a land 'regularisation' order passed by him when he was a minister in the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court last week issued a notice to Sattar who had ordered 'regularisation' of the possession of land reserved for public 'gairan' (grazing) in favour of a private person in the face of a civil court order. Earlier, the opposition members had also demanded Chief Minister Shinde's resignation after a Nagpur bench of the HC on December 14 ordered status quo on a decision taken by him of allotment of land meant for slum dwellers to private

MGNREGA fraud worth Rs 3 cr unearthed in Gujarat's Amreli; 4 booked

The accused have been booked for cheating, criminal breach, forgery and hatching conspiracy with common intent

More questions than answers as EU-Qatar corruption scandal unfolds

No one answers the door or the phone at the offices of the two campaign groups linked to a cash-for-favours corruption scandal at the European Union's parliament, allegedly involving Qatar. No light is visible inside. No Peace Without Justice (NPWJ), a pro-human rights and democracy organisation, and Fight Impunity, which seeks to bring rights abusers to book, share the same address, on prime real estate in the governmental quarter of the Belgian capital. The heads of the two organizations are among four people charged since December 9 with corruption, participation in a criminal group and money laundering. Prosecutors said in a statement that they suspect certain European lawmakers and aides were paid large sums of money or offered substantial gifts to influence parliament's decisions. Qatar rejects allegations that it's involved. The Gulf country that's hosting the soccer World Cup has gone to considerable trouble to boost its public image and defend itself against extensive ...

Circumstantial evidence enough to convict public servants for graft: SC

SC holds that direct evidence of demand for bribe by public servants is not necessary to convict them under the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act