Little public tolerance on corruption: PM

New Delhi, Apr 21 (PTI) Admitting that there is little
public tolerance now for the prevailing state of affairs on
the issue of corruption, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
on Thursday said that his government is committed to face this
challenge boldly as people expect swift and exemplary action.
Singh also said that government hopes to introduce
during the monsoon session of Parliament the Lokpal Bill on
which a committee of Ministers and representatives of civil
society are working.
Addressing IAS (Indian Administrative Service), IFS
(Indian Foreign Service), IPS (Indian Police Service) and
other senior bureaucrats, the Prime Minister did some plain
speaking. "There is a growing feeling in the people that our
laws, systems and procedures are not effective in dealing with
corruption," he said asking them to contribute in the fight
against corruption.
"We must recognize that there is little public tolerance
now for the prevailing state of affairs. People expect swift
and exemplary action and rightly so," Singh said inaugurating
the Civil Services Day.
Recalling his earlier statement that corruption was an
impediment to faster growth and hurts the poor the most, the
Prime Minister said, "it is a challenge that we must tackle
boldly and we stand committed to doing so".
He noted that the issue of ethics and transparency in
governance was a subject which has attracted a great deal of
attention in recent days.
The Prime Minister said he expected the civil servants
to be honest and fearless in advising the political
leadership.
Hoping to see renewed energy from each one of them in
the fight against corruption, he said, "I expect you to be
honest and fearless in advising your superior authorities,
especially the political leadership.
"Those of you who serve in senior positions would do
well to also encourage your subordinate officers in this
direction," he said.
Singh said that the government's aim was to strengthen
the legislative framework, revamp administrative practices and
procedures and fast track a systemic response to fight
corruption.
A Group of Ministers is looking into the legal and
administrative measures and he expected its recommendations to
be available soon, he said.
"A committee of Ministers and representatives of civil
society is at work to finalize the draft of a Lokpal Bill,
which we hope to be able to introduce during the monsoon
session of Parliament," he said.
Observing that two bills relating to judicial
accountability and protection of whistle blowers have already
been introduced in Parliament, Singh said that the government
would soon ratify the United Nations Convention on Corruption.
"We are committed to bringing more transparency in
public procurement and to ensuring that disinvestment of
public utilities and allocation of public resources are done
in a manner that best safeguards the interests of the
asset-owning public," the Prime Minister said.
The Prime Minister said that people value the work done
by honest and dedicated civil servants and look up to them.
He asked the civil servants to work to strengthen the trust
and faith which people still have in civil servants.
The spontaneous support of the people of Malkangiri,
when the Collector of the district was kidnapped by left-wing
extremists, "is a pointer to the extent of goodwill that well
meaning civil servants can achieve", he said.
Noting that the core of the Civil Services was sound
and rooted in values of integrity and fair play, Singh said,
"it is a pity that instances of individual waywardness, of
lack of moral courage and of surrender to pressures and
temptations tarnish the image of Civil Services and lead to
immense criticism and dissatisfaction".
He said that Civil Services as a whole should set the
highest standards of probity and integrity in public and
personal life and create an atmosphere and a work ethic
which encourage honesty and integrity.
"Disapproval and even ostracization by peers and
colleagues can be a powerful deterrent for those who tend to
stray from the path of rectitude", the Prime Minister said.
Turning to the security scenario, Singh said though the
overall security situation has been reasonably satisfactory in
the past few months, there was no room for any relaxation of
vigil.
Combating Left Wing extremism, meeting terrorist
challenges, countering insurgency in parts of the North-East
and maintaining communal harmony would be government's
priorities, he said.