CAG hails civil society for raising voice on corruption

Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Vinod Rai on Saturday hailed the phenomenon of civil society raising its voice on corruption and hoped that the trend would help in making public servants more accountable.

“We have a performing and vibrant democracy. Today citizens have come to centrestage.

Civil society raised its voice and is being heard. It is making us realise that that you are living under glass house. You shall be accountable for all your actions,” he said.

Speaking on the topic “eradicating and containing corruption in public life” at the 11th All India Lokayuktas Conference here, Rai said that the CAG has decided to bring out small booklets on audits of social sectors for the help of common man by doing away with its bulky reports.

He called upon the people to make their “small places neat and clean” as a first step in making the country free from corruption. Giving the example of Satyam Computers, he said it showed that there was a great deal of wrongdoings in corporates as well.

“Economic growth cannot be made sustainable unless made on the edifice of accountability and responsibility. We require paradigm shifts. Let’s debunk this myth of silent majority,” he said.

Coming close on heels of the allegations of corruption levelled against politicians by Arvind Kejariwal-led India Against Corruption (IAC), the CAG’s observations assumed significance as its report has been at the centrestage of 2G, CWG and coal block allocation scams.

He referred to the celebrations after India won just six medals in Olympics this year to ask if we have become the nation of mediocrity.

Former chief election commissioner S Y Quraishi said that the election was the root cause of corruption as 124 MPs were facing multiple criminal cases. He said that there should be ethical voting on the part of electorates and a control on election expenditure by the candidates.

“By bringing in electoral reforms, we can catch the corrupt at the gate itself,” he said.