Made bureaucracy accountable: Modi

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his government had taken several steps to make the bureaucracy performance-oriented and accountable even as it was committed to ensuring probity and protecting public servants from frivolous allegations.
He said the focus of his government was on providing system-based and policy-driven governance. “A governance structure that is sensitive, transparent and accountable,” he said
Along with making bureaucracy effective, the PM said the NDA government was also “unsparing in punishing the corrupt”. He said 45 senior officers had either been removed or faced pension cuts for “unsatisfactory performance and delivery in public service”.
The PM said after assuming office, his government had taken several steps to check corruption and the menace of black money in a short span of time which included setting up a Special Investigation Team under the supervision of the Supreme Court to look into the black money issue.
He added that the government had also entered into agreements with many countries for exchanging real-time information on black money besides signing an Inter Government Agreement with the US to implement the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA).
Besides, a comprehensive and deterrent law, the Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets and Imposition of Tax Act, has been enacted which provides for stringent penalties and prosecution.
“We have also introduced a provision under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act for restitution of assets. This will enable millions of poor investors who have lost money in ponzi schemes to recover a part of their hard earned money,” he added.
The PM said India was in a crucial phase of nation building. “Our mission is to build a prosperous India. An India where our farmers are capable, our workers satisfied, our women empowered and our youth self-reliant. This is not an impossible mission. However, to achieve this objective, it is essential to fight relentlessly against corruption. India stands committed in its fight against corruption,” he said.