In a bid to tackle corruption in the state, the Andhra Pradesh government is asking its officials to return the bribe money on complaints of the citizens. With officials in Guntur, Kadapa, Krishna and Kurnool districts personally going to the victims and returning the bribe money, results are beginning to show.
According to a News18 report, after a complaint came to the notice of Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, the panchayat secretary of a village returned Rs 500 bribe amount to all the 10 people, from whom he had collected money.
The villager had complained about panchayat secretary taking Rs 500 to sanction pensions.
As a part of real time governance initiative, the Andhra Pradesh government has also started a helpline mumber – “1100”. It has been started to address grievances of the citizens.
Interestingly, not only the government officials, but action is being taken against private individuals as well. The government has decided that it won’t spare anyone involved in corruption.
After a complaint, in Krishna district, a broker was made to return Rs 1000 which he had taken as a bribe for arranging a ration card for the citizen.
In Kadapa district, a victim got back Rs 1000 which he paid to get his pension sanctioned. An official associated in the ‘corrupton-free’ drive reportedly said that as soon as they receive the complaint, they first 0verify the details to check if the allegations are true. The basic idea is to return the bribe amount and teach a lesson to the officers.
The government is encouraging citizens to report any grievance on the toll-free helpline. The government hopes the initiative will make officers scared to take bribe.
