The
Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has said that we must ensure
that the benefits of democratic governance reach every citizen in our country.
He was addressing the gathering after inaugurating the ‘Vigilance Awareness
Week’ with the theme “My Vision-Corruption-free India”, organised by the
Central Vigilance Commission, here today. The Minister of State for Development
of North Eastern Region (I/C), Prime Minister’s Office, Personnel, Public
Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh, the
Cabinet Secretary, Shri P.K. Sinha, the Central Vigilance Commissioner, Shri
K.V. Chowdary and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.
The
Vice President said that we should go to the roots of corruption and strike at
it. He further said that constant vigilance is required to see that the vast
beautiful tree of our country is not eaten up by weeds and pests. The tree must
be protected, preserved and nourished continuously by rejuvenating the entire eco-system,
he added.
The
Vice President said that Sardar Patel represents the best values in the Indian
tradition so far as governance is concerned and he integrated the country and
also was a shining example of integrity and probity in public life. He further
said that we must draw inspiration from Sardar Vallabhai Patel’s messages and
his life. His sense of realism and pragmatic approach to issues allowed him to
face challenges and demonstrate his successful leadership qualities, he added.
The
Vice President said that honesty and integrity are essential components of
social capital. They add value to the economic capital and intellectual capital
of any society and country, he added.
The
Vice President said that procedures and implementation of laws should become
more citizen-centric. Each citizen should be able to access quality services
without harassment, undue delays and corrupt practices, he added.
The
Vice President said that all out efforts should be made to improve the
educational system to inculcate strong values, ethical conduct and commitment
towards the welfare of the society at large. He further said that the Central
Vigilance Commission is trying to promote “Integrity Club” in schools and
colleges and this initiative will no doubt pay rich dividends in future. He
commended the Commission for its concerted efforts in battling the blight of
corruption.
Following
is the text of Vice President’s address:
“I
am happy to inaugurate the Vigilance Awareness Week, 2017.
I
am happy to note that the Central Vigilance Commission is organizing a number
of programmes during this week to create greater awareness about corruption and
the need to be aware of and combat it at all levels by everyone.
The
theme “My Vision-Corruption-free India” has been aptly chosen. If we want India
to become a stronger economic power and if we want to create an India in which
every citizen will be able to enjoy his/her rights and lead a better quality of
life, we need “Su-rajya” or clean polity and good governance. We need to have
good governance to take the development to the people. We must translate into
reality the grand vision of great leaders like Sardar Vallabhai Patel, whose
birth anniversary is being celebrated across the country today.
Addressing
the senior civil servants almost seventy years ago, Sardar Patel had said:
“Unhappily India today cannot boast of an incorruptible service, but I hope
that you who are now starting, as it were, a new generation of Civil Servants,
will not be misled by black sheep in the fold, but would render your service
without fear or favour and without, any expectation of extraneous rewards. If
you serve in the true spirit of service I am sure you will have your best
reward.”
The “black sheep” in all walks of
life are the visible face of corruption. They thrive in a system that has low
accountability, low transparency, cumbersome, poorly understood procedures and
high discretionary powers. It is this system that we should reform and
transform. The Prime Minister has given a three-line mantra – Reform, Perform
and Transform. We should go to the roots of corruption and strike at it.
Constant vigilance is required to see that the vast beautiful tree of our
country is not eaten up by weeds and pests. The tree must be protected, preserved
and nourished continuously by rejuvenating the entire eco-system.
One of the instruments for building
a healthy polity is the Central Vigilance Commission established in 1964. It
was created on the basis of the recommendations of Santhanam Committee for
exercising general superintendence over the vigilance administration in
Government. The Commission was conferred statutory status through an Act of
Parliament in 2003 and it also became a multimember body. In 2004 it became a
designated authority to receive Whistle Blower complaints and to give
protection to Whistleblowers.
In June 2000, the Commission
decided to observe Vigilance Awareness Week every year starting from 31st
October, the birthday of Bharat Ratna Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. The purpose is
to make every citizen realise need to collectively combat the menace of
corruption.
Sardar Patel represents the best
values in the Indian tradition so far as governance is concerned. He integrated
the country and also was a shining example of integrity and probity in public
life.
I
would like to quote Bharat Ratna Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel who said:
“The
negligence of a few could easily send a ship to the bottom”, but with “the
whole hearted cooperation of all on board, she could be safely brought to
port”.
We cannot afford to allow our ship
to sink. We have a collective responsibility to steer this ship through
troubled waters.
We must draw inspiration from
Sardar Vallabhai Patel’s messages and his life. There are innumerable incidents
relating to his iron will and courage, in public and private life. He commanded
respect and popularity owing to his integrity, truthfulness and firmness. His
sense of realism and pragmatic approach to issues allowed him to face
challenges and demonstrate his successful leadership qualities.
Sardar
Patel exemplified an ethical approach in his life, behaviour and dealings;
personal rectitude and austerity were part of his being. It is these qualities
that we must seek to imbibe and strive to emulate in our work and in our lives.
Let
me outline a few ways in which we can achieve a new India that is clean, not
only by physically removing the garbage from our streets but also by creating a
corruption-free governance structure.
We,
in leadership positions, must lead by example.
Honesty
and integrity are essential components of social capital. They add value to the
economic capital and intellectual capital of any society and country. They are
reflective of our societal norms and attitudes. If we have to live up to the
high standards of integrity set by the leaders who have given us freedom, it is
imperative that we revive the values of hard work, honesty, empathy and
integrity.
We
have to ‘live’ these values not merely talk about them.
We
must ensure that the benefits of democratic governance reach every citizen in
our country.
Governance
should have citizens as the central focus and try to address the needs of the
different segments of population effectively. Procedures and implementation of
laws should become more citizen-centric. Each citizen should be able to access
quality services without harassment, undue delays and corrupt practices.
Information should be freely shared. Standard operating procedures should be in
place reducing the amount of discretion.
Active involvement and
participation by all stakeholders and actors is critical.
The vision of Sardar Patel to see
India as a great nation can only be achieved through active involvement of all
sections of the population and key pillars of our governance structure. The
presence of a strong civil society including a free press and independent
judiciary are important pre-conditions for good governance.
The role of the media and of civil
society in fighting the menace of corruption is also very important. A media
that is objective, balanced and neutral in its reporting and ethical in functioning
can have a great impact.
Through their outreach efforts,
civil society organisations can play a significant role in educating and
creating awareness among the people.
Sharing of accurate
information and universal literacy are key arsenal
I have always believed that
information that has been sanctified with confirmation is the most powerful
ammunition to fight corruption. Providing timely and accurate information
empowers citizens. The Right to Information Act must be used to inform,
enlighten and empower. We need to step up our national efforts to achieve
universal literacy. It is virtually impossible to achieve a corruption-free
society with more than 25 percent of our citizens being unable to read and
write. Once we achieve universal basic literacy, we would have created a
literate society that can understand the citizens’ entitlements and access
public services and benefit from all socio-economic development programmes. We
would have then created a critical mass of enlightened citizenry that can more
confidently participate in the democratic processes. We would have deepened our
democratic roots.
I
strongly feel that the most effective antidote to corruption is an active,
involved and empowered citizenry. In other words, the most potent weapon
against corruption is people like you and me. Each one of us must set new
benchmarks by adopting zero tolerance for corrupt practices. Ultimately, it
must be understood that all the malpractices, double-dealing, nepotism and
other such practices, be it governmental or organizational, hurt us. Therefore
we must all join hands and pledge to root it out of the system.
The first step towards empowering
the citizens is creating awareness among them. It is extremely important for
the common citizen to be aware of what to expect from the Government.
In this context, the efforts and
commitment of the Central Vigilance Commission towards awareness generation and
ensuring public participation in fighting the scourge of corruption are
laudable whether through the display of hoardings and banners or grievance
redressal camps for citizens, the awareness gram sabhas or through
‘walkathons’, ‘nukkad nataks’ or other means. I am happy to note that the
Commission has circulated an Integrity Pledge to be taken by Government
officials and the citizens. Such pledges have been found to be quite effective
around the world in binding people to follow the path of honesty. Such public
commitment by civil servants, students, journalists, educators, NGOs, and
citizens, is not only a tool for creating awareness but can act as a force
multiplier for the society at large to take the fight against corruption
seriously.
Simplify, streamline,
standardize and digitalize
Corruption undermines economic
development by causing considerable distortion and inefficiency. It increases
the cost of business through the price of illicit payments, the management cost
of negotiating with officials and the risk of breached agreements.
If India has to welcome investors,
the ease of doing business must be considerably enhanced. The Prime Minister
came out with a statement, saying that, it is not red-tape, it is red-carpet to
the investors. Investments will come if the procedures are simple, if there is
no harassment, if there is no corruption, investors will be happy to come here
and invest money. The regulatory controls must be minimized and the procedures
should be clear, simple, streamlined and digitalized so that there is very little
ambiguity or discretion. The regulation should not become strangulation. We
must standardize procedures and inform all citizens what these procedures are.
Uncertainty and lack of information gives undesirable power to the implementing
machinery. Citizen Charters have been a good step forward in this direction.
Apart from this, the cutting edge
administration with which the common man comes into contact with the Government
or its agencies needs a radical transformation.
The use of Information and Communication
Technology has helped create efficient, transparent and accountable systems
with no scope for arbitrariness and discretion while enabling better quality
and efficient delivery of services.
The Digital India initiative
has ensured that Government services are made available to citizens
electronically by improving online infrastructure and by increasing Internet
connectivity i.e. by making the country digitally empowered.
I am confident that the Central
Vigilance Commission will continue this challenging mission to not only point
out some omissions and commissions by individuals but also to ensure that the
society is free of this malaise of corruption. It can do so, probably in
conjunction, with other bodies like the Central Information Commission, the
Election Commission of India and the Comptroller and Auditor General of India
which have mandates that could potentially contribute to a clean and
corruption-free India that we wish to see by 2022.
All out efforts should be made to
improve the educational system to inculcate strong values, ethical conduct and
commitment towards the welfare of the society at large. The Commission, I am
told, is trying to promote “Integrity Club” in schools and colleges. This
initiative will no doubt pay rich dividends in future.
Mahatma Gandhi had said that: “As
human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world
- that is the myth of the atomic age - as in being able to remake ourselves”.
Remaking the world starts with remaking ourselves, our communities and our
country.
We surely have a long way to go. We
are slowly improving on the global corruption perception index- from 38 in 2015
to 40 in 2016. But we can make quicker and lasting progress if we identify the
key levers that can make a difference and take systematic action on each of
them. I am sure that the government is not only aware of the challenge but is
also committed to make a difference by 2022. The recent policy interventions
including tax reforms could contribute to this societal transformation.
Why the people have welcomed the
demonetisation, though it is painful for them. Because, they could understand
the temporary pain is for long term gain. And the idea of opening Bank Accounts
to all people under Jan Dhan, understood by the public after demonetisation.
I take this opportunity to
felicitate the Commission for its concerted efforts in battling the blight of
corruption.
Let us resolve to work relentlessly
and assiduously to ensure a corruption free India.
Thank
you. Jai Hind.”
***
KSD/BK