New Delhi (NVI): Government on Friday said the recent Parliamentary Amendment brought in by the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) in the Prevention of Corruption Act of 1988 has made bribe-giver equally liable for punishment, unlike in the past when only the bribe-taker was subject to action under law.
“A number of laws have been amended such as the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) where the bribe giver can also now be prosecuted and time limit fixed to act against the accused. Besides, the Lokpal Act and the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act have been enacted to check corruption”, said Minister of State for PMO Dr. Jitendra Singh.
While Speaking at an Awards Function organized by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) to felicitate the winners of an Online International Youth Anti-Corruption Contest “Together against Corruption”, Dr. Jitendra Singh said the Government has created a congenial environment for diligent officers who perform with honesty and sincerity.
“At the same time, the Government has introduced several reforms towards bringing about transparency like scrapping Interviews for Group C and certain Group B posts and doing away with the attestation of certificates,” he said.
“In 2014 the Prime Minister Narendra Modi inherited a huge legacy of scams amidst a huge challenge of pessimism in the country all around. There has been a significant turnaround in the last more than five years”, he said.
“Young minds must lead the fight against the malady of corruption as they can be an effective model of social change. Incorruptibility is a virtue difficult to achieve for one who has had an opportunity to get corrupted, this virtue comes from self-esteem”, he added.
On the occasion, Dr. Jitendra Singh also presented an awards to the top three national winners of the Online International Youth Anti-Corruption Contest “Together against Corruption” which was initiated by the BRICS forum.
The top three winners at the national level in Video and Poster category each were awarded with a Shield and a Certificate. They were also given Prize Money of Rs. 15,000/- (1st Prize), Rs. 12,000/- (2nd Prize) and Rs. 10,000/- (3rd Prize) to be transferred directly in the bank accounts of winners.
In January 2019, in BRICS Anti-Corruption Working Group Meeting held in Japan, on the margins of G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group Meeting, Russian Federation initiated organizing an Online International Youth Anti-corruption contest “Together against Corruption!” with the participation of BRICS member countries.
-sb
