AAP government has reduced corruption: Kejriwal

New Delhi  :  Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Thursday said corruption has come down in Delhi since the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) came to power a month ago.

Kejriwal said in this one month, the government had been successful in reducing corruption and he promised to unveil a Jan Lokpal bill to combat graft.

“An interesting campaign was launched to tackle corruption,” he said, in an obvious reference to the helpline his government has provided to report bribery demands.

“I do not have a scientific study to show that corruption has been reduced but … people have told me that money is not being asked (the way it was earlier),” Kejriwal told the media.

“I had sent volunteers five days ago to various departments. It was their observation that in most departments corruption has been reduced but in VAT the same (corrupt) system is in progress,” he said.

Kejriwal suggested that a private agency should do a survey on the issue.

“There is a sense of fear (among the corrupt) which is necessary. So we are encouraging some independent organisation (to do a) survey (to know) how much change has happened on the corruption front.”

On the Lokpal bill, he said: “The Delhi Lokpal Bill will be introduced in the cabinet Friday and in 10-15 days there might be an assembly session and there it will be passed.”

The chief minister said the newly launched nursery helpline had curbed the earlier corrupt practice of schools demanding donations.

He added that transparency had been introduced in the supply of water through tankers in addition to restricting the tanker mafia to some extent.

On plans to further clean the system, Kejriwal said a draft for ‘Mohalla Sabhas’ was being prepared to transfer power to the hands of the people and curb corruption in bureaucracy.

“This step will change democracy forever.”

Kejriwal said all political appointments made by the previous governments would be cancelled.

He said the Delhi government holds five seats in the governing body of each of the 28 colleges in Delhi University fully funded by the state government.

“The seats were earlier filled by members of the Congress. Now academics and educationists are being invited from all over the country for these seats.”

Similarly, public prosecutors appointed by the Congress would be removed, he said.

The chief minister also promised cancellation of all “frivolous” projects launched by the previous Congress government.