Vigilance Awareness Week is observed every year to commemorate the birthday of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. This year, the week starting from October 28, 2024, to November 3, 2024, will be celebrated across the country under the theme “Culture of Integrity for Nation’s Prosperity.” The initiative aims to combat corruption in India through citizen awareness, education, and active participation.

The week-long observance promotes ethics and transparency in governance and public administration. The state government is expected to adopt several strategies to combat corruption and raise public awareness about its perils. Vigilance Awareness Week remains one of the primary tools of preventive vigilance, focusing on building awareness and reaffirming the commitment to uphold integrity in governance.

The observance is also a platform used by the Vigilance Commission to bring together all stakeholders, encouraging collective participation in the prevention and fight against corruption. It aims to raise public awareness regarding the existence, causes, and gravity of corruption, as well as the threats it poses to society. The initiative also seeks to create awareness about common issues related to vigilance and foster an atmosphere motivated toward weeding out corruption and unethical practices.

In line with these efforts, the Central Vigilance Commission in New Delhi has directed all state departments, union territories, and public undertaking bodies to conduct training for their employees, particularly focusing on fresh recruits and those with up to ten years of service. This training will occur during a detailed three-month campaign period from August 16, 2024, to November 15, 2024, with a strong emphasis on five preventive vigilance measures: capacity building, systematic improvement measures, updating circulars and guidelines, disposal of complaints received before June 30, 2024, and maintaining a dynamic digital presence.

Kezhokhoto Savi, Advocate, emphasized the importance of collective action in the fight against corruption. “All organisations should strive to drive home the idea that the fight against corruption is a collective fight involving everyone,” he stated. He highlighted the need to motivate the public to join in this fight, noting that the Awareness Week serves as an initiative to raise voices against corruption and foster understanding among citizens about its causes and impacts.

Savi remarked, “Corruption has been one of the major obstacles to the economic, political, and social progress of our country. All stakeholders, including the government, citizens, and the private sector, need to work together to eradicate corruption.”

He called for every citizen to be vigilant and commit to the highest standards of honesty and integrity. “I pledge to follow probity and the rule of law in all walks of life; to neither take nor offer bribes; to perform all tasks in an honest and transparent manner; to act in the public interest; to lead by example by exhibiting integrity in personal behaviour; and to report any incident of corruption to the appropriate agency,” Savi added.

MT

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