The Jammu & Kashmir Government embarking on a weeklong Vigilance Awareness campaign though undoubtedly shows it’s intent of carrying forward it’s campaign against the corruption to logical conclusion but ultimately conscience of the people in administration matters more than the weeklong awareness campaign against corruption in Government offices. Though best initiative that Government could take is undoubtedly the conduct of pledge taking ceremonies in it’s offices from top to bottom just to imbibe the spirits of integrity and honesty amongst officers and officials but ultimately it is for the employees to show respect for the transparency and accountability not only in delivery of services but more significantly in dealing with the administrative and financial matters. While the news reports about Government officials falling in the traps of the vigilance nets of J&K Anti-Corruption Bureau (J&K ACB) go viral on social media sites day in and day out only to bring the Government into disrepute but such operations of the Jammu & Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau (J&K ACB) also show the Government’s seriousness about it’s commitments on curbing corruption and punishing the corrupt in public institutions. Irrefutable fact is that Vigilance awareness week is not being observed just this year but is being observed annually on the birth anniversary of the Sardar Vallabbhai Patel the first Home Minister of the country since the year 2000 just to remind the people in administration the commitment of the Government about crusade against corruption.
“In a scenario where corruption does not head to any dead end and most of the corrupt evade action for one reason the other promoting institutional transparency in Government Departments and as well as autonomous bodies connected with financial and administrative matters deserves the immediate attention and intervention of the Government. Never forget that unless and until institutional transparency is not established anti-corruption bodies, merely establishing institutional transparency in public institution won’t make any difference in Jammu & Kashmir or any of the states and union territories of the country”.
Though Jammu & Kashmir Government celebrates vigilance awareness week since the year 2000 by organising pledge taking ceremonies in key public institutions the way Government of majority of the states and union territories of the country do so but unfortunately the corruption does not head to any dead end either in Jammu & Kashmir or majority of the states and union territories of the country despite celebration of vigilance awareness week annually with a commitment against corruption. Unfortunately neither corruption heads to any dead end nor the corrupt are as intensely punished as they should have been either in Jammu & Kashmir or in majority of the states and union territories of the country. In a scenario where corruption does not head to any dead end and most of the corrupt evade action for one reason the other promoting institutional transparency in Government Departments and as well as autonomous bodies connected with financial and administrative matters deserves the immediate attention and intervention of the Government. Never forget that unless and until institutional transparency is not established anti-corruption bodies, merely establishing institutional transparency in public institution won’t make any difference in Jammu & Kashmir or any of the states and union territories of the country.
