Rawat doubts govt’s will to banish graft

Dehradun, August 17

Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat has questioned state BJP government’s commitment towards weeding out corruption by preferring to bring an anti-corruption commission rather than a Lokayukta in the state.

In a press note issued here today, former Rawat said it seemed the state BJP government was not serious in dealing with corruption and asserted that the Lokayukta was very much needed in the state to curb corruption. He said he would still welcome if a commission headed by a Judge of a High Court took adequate steps to check corruption in the state. He reiterated that all issues of corruption from the time of inception of the state till date needed to be probed. He also held that the provision should also be made that corruption in future was full proof. Welcoming the Centre’s scheme of providing budgetary support under the GST regime for the industrial units in Uttarakhand till March 31, 2027, Rawat reminded that his government had been repeatedly appealing the GST council for the same.  — TNS