THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau will take the help of technology and intelligence collection to launch a special project to weed out corruption in the state.
As part of this effort, a special database of known corrupt officials in all the government departments will be prepared. The database will be updated regularly through concerted action and collection of specific intelligence, said Vigilance Director Manoj Abraham.
For intelligence garnering, an intelligence team well trained in the trade will be developed. Once a database of corrupt officials is prepared, close surveillance will be mounted on such elements. The intelligence team will also develop more information required for conducting trap operations and prepare a repository of information on the agents, who operate hand in glove with government officials to assist in corruption.
Vigilance proposed procuring specialised software for online monitoring and detection of grafts. Digital gadgets for surveillance and recording will also be made available. Vigilance also pushed forward the idea of the total digitization of government services. The idea behind this proposal is to provide all the services on online platforms, which will root out corrupt practices. The bureau also suggested the implementation of an e-office in all the government departments and making all office files digital.
To tackle institutional corruption in arenas such as bulk purchases, Vigilance proposed purchases through the online platform Government e-Marketplace (GeM). Another proposal is to standardise specifications for major goods/items so that the bidding process witnesses tight competition. The bureau also suggested the government not punish the government servants for their administrative mistakes. Another proposal to the government is to overlook genuine mistakes of honest officers and not to harass them for such errors. “The initial priority will be to detect corruption and take strong deterrence action,” Manoj said.