Encourage honest officials to get rid of corruption: IFS officer

Jotirmay Thapliyal

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, April 22

Anti-corruption crusader and Ramon Magsaysay recipient Sanjiv Chaturvedi, who is currently posted as Conservator of Forests (Research), Haldwani, said encouraging honest       officials and punishing the corrupt ones was the   mool mantra to weed       out corruption.

Talking to The Tribune on the sidelines of the Civil Services Day function here on Saturday, IFS officer Sanjiv Chaturvedi, who shot into fame after his tireless efforts against corruption as Haryana cadre IFS officer and then as Deputy Secretary, AIIMS, said it was a matter of concern that even Nepal and Sri Lanka were ahead of the country in vital parameters such as health.

He recommended the setting up of anti-corruption bodies which do not have any political interference and fast-track courts to deal with corruption cases. “Prosecution must prepare a strong case so that no corrupt is let loose. Such cases should not be dragged and come to a conclusion within two to three years”, he said.

Chaturvedi questioned powerful not getting punished for their acts of corruption. “There is a pattern that only lower staff such as a junior engineer, patwari or clerk are punished in cases of corruption while the higher ups go scot-free,” he added.

Responding to a query on a long-pending demand of IFS officers for their adequate representation in administrative services, Chaturvedi said IFS officers were deployed at the joint secretary-level posts at the Centre and had been performing well.