A Guide to Government Anti-Corruption Tools

By Preetika Rana

The Jan Lokpal Bill championed by Anna Hazare is designed to tackle corruption in the bureaucracy. But what can individuals do to get redress when they witness graft in officialdom? For those with faith in the government’s own mechanisms to root out corruption – and we realize hundreds of thousands protested over the last month precisely because they lacked that faith – here are some options. They come with the caveat that we have not tested these processes for their efficiency, but for frustrated citizens they may provide a place to start:

Project Vigeye : Launched in December 2010 by the Central Vigilance Commission of India,  Project Vigeye is an anticorruption program that allows individuals to lodge complaints against public officials, public enterprises, state governments or central government ministries. Complaints can be registered via the Internet, the telephone, or through an SMS. The project also allows for the uploading of audio, video and photo evidence. “Demo Videos” have been set up on YouTube to help those who want to use the process.

A total of 892 complaints have been filed since the project’s inception. The first project report, dated Jan. 11, lists a total of 93 complaints. Seven were dealt with in less than 48 hours, 21 were forwarded to State Vigilance Commissions and the rest were marked for further investigation.

Trap Cases: India’s premier investigative agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation, encourages public participation in “traps” to catch government officials demanding bribes. The CBI monthly report for June lists six successful trap operations, executed by citizens in New Delhi, Mumbai and Chandigarh.

The CBI also operates anticorruption hotlines; to find the one in your region, check here

Right to Information Act : Enacted by the Indian Parliament in 2005, the Right to Information Act has emerged as a powerful tool to mobilize public opinion on issues of national significance. Under provisions of the Act, citizens may request information from a “public authority” which is compelled to reply within 30 days of receipt.

The Act also requires each public department to computerize records for wide dissemination and pro-actively publish reports to minimize the need for citizen requests. RTIs can be filed, submitted and tracked through the central government’s online portal. 

Some estimates suggest more than one million RTIs have been filed over the last five years. 

To engage public opinion and greater participation, the central government also launched an RTI  fellowship earlier this year.

Portal for Public Grievances: A central government initiative launched in 2007, the online Portal for Public Grievances seeks to curb corruption among central and state departments. Citizens can lodge complaints against a corrupt central or state official or a central or state-run ministry through the portal. Citizens can also view their application status, send reminders and seek clarification on complaints lodged through the website.

Various state governments also have initiated campaigns to combat corruption. The Maharashtra state government, for instance, launched its own “trap cases” program modeled on that of the CBI.  And the Bihar Rural Development Ministry is using social media tools including YouTube to try to monitor corrupt dealings at the Indira Awas Yojana, a housing project for the underprivileged.

Have you used any of the services above? We are interested in your experience and in whether these programs were efficient in curbing corruption. Please let us know in the Comments.