Thiruvananthapuram: A month after his swearing-in as chief minister, Communist Party of India Marxist (CPM) politburo member Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday urged government staff to take up the cudgels against corruption.
Speaking at a seminar organised by the non-gazetted officers’ (NGO) union at the state capital, Vijayan said the government “will not tolerate corrupt officials”, and that cooperation was required from all quarters to root out the evil.
“Even if they (corrupt) are your colleagues, don’t support them. The first time, you can advise them. If there is a repeated attempt (at corruption), do not tolerate”, Vijayan advised the hundreds of NGOs who attended the programme.
The chief minister admitted that the objective of a clean civil service remained a dream even after a quarter century of the coining of the slogan, ‘corruption-free and efficient civil service’.
The chief minister also shared some of his concerns with the government staff, including the pressing need to change some of the rules and regulations still being followed in the state government service that date back to colonial times.
He said files should be processed efficiently, there should be transparency in decision-making, and if corruption is spotted anywhere, it should immediately be reported to higher authorities.
The chief minister also suggested a reduction in the levels of hierarchy in government service and adaptation of modern technology in government offices.
