Corruption demeans us before own people: PM

While multi-crore scams are raging the Indian political scenario, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday said corruption strikes at the root of good governance.

He was speaking at the inaugural function of the second Annual Conference of Chief Secretaries of States here.

?Corruption strikes at the roots of good governance. It is an impediment to faster growth. It dilutes, if not negates, our efforts at social inclusion. It dents our international image and it demeans us before our own people. This is a challenge which has to be faced frontally, boldly and quickly,? said the PM.

?As you might be aware, we have set up a Group of Ministers to look into all measures, legal or administrative, to tackle this menace. Two bills have already been introduced in Parliament relating to judicial accountability and the protection of whistle blowers.

?Along with legislation, the necessary revamp of administrative practices and procedures needs to be fast-tracked. A systemic response that reduces opportunities for corruption needs to be put in place. It is now well documented that the introduction of competition, greater choice and modern technology can cut down the opportunities for corruption in a very meaningful manner.?

He said: ?Delays, another major cause, can be addressed to a large extent by effective decentralization and delegation of power and responsibility. All these issues require your wholehearted attention and I have no doubt that if all of us work together we can bring about vast improvements in governance.?

The PM?s remarks comes two days after former Telecom Minister A Raja was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for his alleged role in the 2G spectrum allocation scam.

Raja is accused of criminal conspiracy and using his office as Telecom Minister to benefit a few telecom operators when 2G spectrum licences were being allocated in 2008 for mobile network.