President Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday said the time had come for people to reset their moral compass, while referring to the brutal gangrape of a 23-year-old woman in a moving bus here on December 16 last year.
He was speaking on the subject of ‘Good governance, empowering institutions, society and public’ at the 14th D P Kohli memorial lecture held at Vigyan Bhavan in memory of CBI’s founder director D P Kohli.
Pranab said: “At the root of poor governance is our lethargy for change, whether it is in the implementation of schemes or adherence to values. I do not have to remind you how grievously hurt the nation was when a young woman, the symbol of an aspiring nation, lost her life in the brutal assault in India in December last year. As I had said earlier, I repeat and I do believe that it is time to reset our moral compass.”
The President pointed out that the police and investigative agencies play a crucial role in engendering social changes.
An alert police force and investigative agency can ensure that no criminal went unpunished, he said. The prosecution should also be speedy so that the guilty are punished without delay. This would enhance the deterrent value of punishment. It would improve responsiveness, one of the most important features of good governance, he added.
Lack of good governance robs citizens of their security, social and economic rights, he said.