DCs asked to spot ‘grey areas’

The Cabinet Division has asked all divisional commissioners and deputy commissioners across the country for ‘pro-active monitoring’ over corruption-prone areas like government purchase, recruitments and development activities under their jurisdictions.
Through demi-official letters issued by cabinet secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam, the field administrators have also been asked to identify ‘grey areas’, if any, at various departments in districts and divisions to bring them under anti-corruption drives with their personal initiatives. 
Referring to studies by various organisations, the letter mentioned corruption elimination would enable Bangladesh to increase its gross domestic product growth rate by almost two per cent annually. 
‘We have sent copies of the DO letters written by the cabinet secretary to all divisional commissioners and deputy commissioners for steps to get rid of corruption and hold all public offices accountable,’ Cabinet Division additional secretary Md Muksodur Rahman Patwary said.
He told New Age on Monday the initiative was taken amid a growing public perception that the government offices were infested with corruption.
‘Only a few government officials and employees are responsible for such a perception. The initiative is aimed at establishing accountability at the government offices and help change the perception,’ said the additional secretary responsible for district and field administration wing. 
In his letter, the cabinet secretary described corruption as a ‘social malaise’, impeding national progress and development. Consequently, domestic and foreign investments, he mentioned, did not reach the desired level. 
The top bureaucrat attached copies of a letter the Anti-Corruption Commission chairman Iqbal Mahmood had written to him in October seeking cooperation in identifying ‘grey areas’ for rooting out corruption from government offices. 
Following the ACC chairman’s letter, Shafiul on December 28 issued similar letters asking secretaries of all the ministries and divisions to take steps to eliminate corruption from government offices, particularly from corruption-prone areas of purchase, recruitments and development activities.
The ACC chairman sought the cooperation for bringing big development projects and ‘grey areas’ at government offices under its scanner. 
The secretaries were also instructed to identify ‘grey areas’ in departments and agencies under them and to extend cooperation to the ACC in stamping out corruption.
The ACC has taken plans to assign its officers at mega development projects of the government to prevent corruption, officials have said.
They said that the ACC assigned its Corruption Prevention Department to prepare an action plan to contain corruption at government offices. 
The anti-graft body has already decided to intensify its drives against corruption in public utilities, regulatory authorities and government offices which deny service to people unless bribed.
Under the initiative, the corruption watchdog on January 18 formed 14 dedicated teams to hunt corruption in 15 organisations, which include utilities, regulatory authorities as well as select government departments.

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