Anti-graft officials visit village markets to spread awareness
MUMBAI: Amidst the hustle and bustle of a weekly village market, a group of government officers wait patiently with pamphlets. These officers from the anti-corruption bureau (ACB) have taken up the task of reaching out to the masses with the message to dial 1064, the statewide helpline to report corruption.
“The weekly markets in the rural parts of the state are the spots where people gather to buy provisions. It is usually held at a place strategically located in a village, where people from nearby villages also gather. We wanted to tap this,” said a highranking ACB officer.
These officers also set up their own stalls to distribute free pamphlets with contact numbers and information on how to report corruption. If a stall has not been set up, a government vehicle is stationed with information boards.
“The officers explain villagers about the cases in which government officers are caught red-handed while taking bribes. They are given the hope that ACB will help ensure their work will be completed even after the corrupt officer is trapped,” said the officer.
Another medium adopted to create awareness is through plays, which is a powerful way to impact the public. The skit, staged by ACB officers, portrays stories that revolve around officers caught while taking bribes.
These initiatives have yielded results as people from rural areas have been in forefront in reporting corruption. So far this year, most corruption cases have been reported from Nashik range (32), Pune (32), Nagpur (27), Thane (25), Aurangabad (24) Nanded (23), Amravati followed by Mumbai (13).
“People from Mumbai shy away from reporting corruption as they want their work done quickly. Poverty in rural pock ets compels villagers to report,” observed another ACB officer who did not wish to be named.
Once criticised for dismal performance, the ACB has seen improvement in taking action against corrupt government servants for the past few years According to statistics, the trap cases reported were 486 in the 2010, 479 in 2011, 489 in 2012 and 583 in 2013. The numbers improved drastically with 1,245 cases being reported in 2014 and 1,234 last year.