PM Modi lists 3 key ways to fight corruption: Tech, service saturation and 'Aatmnirbharta'

New Delhi, Nov 02: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that technology, service saturation and Aatmnirbharta are three key ways of tackling corruption.

Addressing a programme marking Vigilance Awareness Week in New Delhi, he said that the campaign of Vigilance Awareness Week is taking place to realise the dreams and aspirations of a corruption-free India and underlined its importance in the lives of every citizen.

PM Modi stated that his government took the basic facilities to the saturation level, thus eliminating the scope of corruption. Highlighting the principle of saturation that is adopted by the government for the delivery of every scheme, the Prime Minister gave examples of water connections, pucca houses, electricity connections and gas connections.

He noted said that too much dependence on foreign goods has been a big cause of corruption and highlighted the government's push towards atmanirbharta in defence. He underlined that the possibility of scams is ending as India would be manufacturing its own defence equipment, from rifles to fighter jets to transport aircraft.

Terming CVC an institution that encourages everyone's efforts to ensure transparency, the Prime Minister recalled his request last time for 'preventive vigilance' and praised the efforts of CVC in that direction. He also asked the vigilance community to think about modernising their audits and inspections. "The will which the government is showing against corruption, the same will is necessary to be seen in all the departments as well. For a developed India, we have to develop such an administrative ecosystem, which has zero tolerance on corruption", a statement from his office quoted him as saying.

The Prime Minister stressed the need to bring in common citizens in the work of keeping a vigil over corruption. "No matter how powerful the corrupt may be, they should not be saved under any circumstances, it is the responsibility of organisations like you. No corrupt person should get political-social support, every corrupt person should be put in the dock by the society, it is also necessary to create this environment," he said.

Touching upon a worrying trend, the Prime Minister said "We have seen that many times the corrupt people are glorified in spite of being jailed even after being proven to be corrupt. This situation is not good for Indian society. Even today, some people give arguments in favour of the corrupt who have been found guilty. It is very necessary for such people, such forces to be made aware of their duty by society. In this also concrete action taken by your department has a big role."

With regard to the use of technology, the Prime Minister mentioned linking PDS to technology and removing crores of fake beneficiaries and saving more than 2 lakh crore rupees from going to the wrong hands by adopting Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). Similarly, the adoption of transparent digital transactions, and transparent government procurement through GeM is making a huge difference, the statement added.