New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned Saturday that corruption was eating away at India "like a termite" as he used an Independence Day speech to pledge his commitment to eradicating graft and poverty.

In an address from the ramparts of Delhi's Red Fort, Modi sought to silence growing doubts about his leadership after key reforms stalled in a rancorous parliament session dogged by allegations of corruption involving some of his top lieutenants.

Modi also warned against the "poison" of communalism in a wide-ranging speech that lasted for more than an hour.

But it was his comments on the dangers posed by corruption that drew most attention, including his admission that the problem went right to the top.


"I want to reaffirm that this nation will get rid of corruption. We can rid the country of corruption, we have to start from the top," said Modi.

"Corruption is like a termite, it spreads slowly, reaches everywhere but it can be beaten with timely injections."

Modi said there had been no allegations of money being siphoned off under his government but acknowledged there was work to be done.

"Corruption has to be removed fully from the system," said the prime minister. "With your support, I pledge a corruption-free India."

Modi government has also been undermined by its failure to get key economic reforms through parliament in a session that wrapped on Thursday, including a national sales tax that the administrations sees as crucial to firing up growth.

While the economy is growing at around 7.5 percent, it still needs to pick up pace to elevate the hundreds of millions of people still mired in poverty in the world's second most populous nation.

Power for villages

Emphasising his determination to end poverty, Modi set a 1,000-day deadline for every village in India to get electricity, urging state governments which are responsible for power to ensure that every community is finally linked up to the national grid.

"Even after so many decades of independence there are 18,500 villages in India which do not have electricity," Modi said,

"I appeal to the states and all other stakeholders to connect these villages with electricity system within 1,000 days," Modi said.

PM said his government had already succeeded in enabling 170 million people to open bank accounts for the first time under a government-run scheme.

"The poor are at bottom of the pyramid of development and we have to strengthen the base of the pyramid. If they are empowered, no one can stop us," said Modi.

Modi's first August 15 address from the ramparts of Delhi's Red Fort drew praise from across the political spectrum as he tackled issues such as sexual violence, religious unrest and a lack of toilets.

But 12 months on, problems are mounting up for the prime minister who has had to beat a retreat on a controversial land bill as well as failing to steer the key Goods and Services Tax (GST) through parliament before the recess.

Moodabidri: It is unfortunate that people thought corruption is a formality. Elders must create awareness among the children about corruption. Determination should be there to eradicate corruption, said Eesha Vittala Swamiji of Shri Kshetra Kemaru Sandipani Sadhanashram.

He was speaking after inaugurating the Anti corruption awareness forum at Moodabidri society hall. Moulana Abdul Darimi who was present as chief guest said, corruption is a complex issue. It is a widespread social evil in the world. Only awareness can eradicate this evil. When people change their mentality corruption can be prevented, he said.

Rev.F. Francis Asis D'Almeda presided over the program. He advised that the anti corruption organisations should not jackboot others. They must work in according to law.

President of Sevadala Praveen R. Kotian, general secretary Narayana Kadalakere and others were present. Hariprasad Nayak welcomed, Jagannath Konaje compered the program. Joint secretary Padmanabha Shetty proposed the vote of thanks.

Badiadka: Activists of CPI staged a protest in front of village municipality office condemning the corruption in the village municipality.

State committee member of CPI, T. Krishnan inaugurated the protest march and said, the UDF government is implementing project which fills their pockets. Hence the people pro projects have been halted.

The development in Badiadka village municipality has been proved to be just a mirage. So CPI will fight to provide every basic facility to the people, he said.

CPI leaders PNR, Ammannaya were present.    

 

Riyadh: The National Anti-Corruption Commission (Nazaha) has issued a raft of new regulations declaring various behaviors at work as corrupt acts including gossiping, making personal calls, reading irrelevant material and not adhering to office hours.
This expands the previous definition of corruption from misuse of funds, forgery and bribery and targets workers at ministries and government agencies. These offenses all carry penalties, the NACC stated recently.

The new NACC definition includes using government vehicles for personal use and creating luxury offices. The Nazaha includes on its list officials taking out advertisements in the media, and hosting events to promote their image or congratulate themselves on work completed. The NACC said that it encourages workers to report whether their managers arrive late for work, or leave early. It also wants managers to report insubordinate workers failing to do their jobs.

The NACC stated that workers are guilty of administrative corruption if they deliberately fail to attend to the needs of the public, such as issuing documents. It is also an act of corruption to reveal confidential information on tenders and contracts.
The NACC stated that it is wrong to use telephones for personal use, and provide jobs for relatives and acquaintances at the expense of qualified citizens. It is also a corrupt act to use one's influence, or wasta, to get things done by bypassing normal procedures. The NACC said there are severe penalties for these infractions. It intends to monitor government workplaces with regular inspections.