On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually addressed the G20 Anti-Corruption Ministerial Meeting in Kolkata, emphasising India’s rigorous zero-tolerance policy for corruption.
“India has a strict policy of zero tolerance against corruption,” PM Modi said, emphasising that the country is embracing technology and e-governance to create a transparent and accountable ecosystem.
PM Modi also alluded to Tagore’s words and warned against greed, which prevents us from seeing the truth. He also alluded to the ancient Indian Upanishads, which strive for ‘Ma Gridha,’ which translates as “let there be no greed.”
PM Modi went on to remark that the poor and marginalised suffer the brunt of the consequences of corruption.
“It has an impact on resource utilisation, distorts markets, affects service delivery, and ultimately reduces people’s quality of life,” he added.
Modi asserted, using Kautilya from the Arthashastra, that it is the role of the government to maximise the wellbeing of its people.
“The need to combat corruption in order to achieve this goal, and said that it is the sacred duty of the government towards its people,” he continued.
He also noted that flaws and weaknesses in government programmes and welfare systems are being rectified.
“Hundreds of millions of Indians have received direct benefit transfers totaling more than 360 billion dollars into their bank accounts, assisting in the saving of over 33 billion dollars,” he added.
“Our government e-Marketplace, or GeM portal,” he continued, “has increased openness in government procurement.”
In response to the enactment of the Economic criminals Act in 2018, Prime Minister Modi announced that the government is aggressively pursuing economic criminals and has recovered assets worth more than 1.8 billion dollars from fugitives and economic offenders.
He also talked about the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), which has helped attach assets worth more than USD 12 billion since 2014.
