IIM working on integrity index

Hyderabad: Central Vigilance Commissioner K.V. Chowdary emphasised in a speech on Friday that technology would curb corruption in both the public and private sectors, and the ‘Integrity Index’ that is being worked out with IIM-Ahmedabad would be completed by the end of December.

Speaking at the Vigilance Awareness Week organised by the income-tax department, he said the index would measure the process that each organisation had instituted and how it was being implemented. 

“It is a kind of measure of efficiency and  performance outcome of the organisation vis-a-vis its services. We designed it in consultation with Indian Institute of Management (IIM)-Ahmed-abad). There are five major areas which capture various activities and each ac-tivity is given some marks. It is not a corruption index; it is a perception index on how people perceive the organisation,” he said.

The index will be implemented in 25 organisations, including the income-tax department, public sector units and bodies like the Medical Council of India and will be extended to others.

Adopting technology will achieve a corruption-free India, he said. For example, “after introducing technology in railway ticket booking, filing of income tax returns and in other sectors, corruption in these fields came down. After implementation of GPS technology in coal transportation, the practice of diversion of coal has been controlled,” he said.

Acknowledging that people were sometimes helpless in controlling corruption due to the circumstances, Mr Chowdary recalled how he was forced to pay a bribe of Rs 5 and Rs 10 during his school and college days.

“We needed to get attestation of government officials on copies of certificates. As we had no family members or relatives in government service, I decided to get my SSLC certificate attested by the tahsildar of Machilipat-nam and my brother suggested I take '5 along with me. When I went to the office, they demanded '5 and I paid," he said. 

When he needed attestation on two certificates after completing his BSc, he said: “I went to the tahsildar's office with Rs 10 for two certificates. The staff gave me lottery tickets worth Rs 5. I refused to pay for them, but they said that Rs 5 was enough for the attestations and it is mandatory to but the lottery tickets as the government had put targets for tahsildars.”