After the citizen reporters created by the electronic media, now come citizen sleuths to be eyes and ears of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) in fighting corruption in the central government, nationalised banks and public sector undertakings.The CVC is launching on Thursday a new portal 'Vig-Eye' (vigilance's eye) on the Internet on which the citizens can upload videos or audios direct from their mobiles on the occasion of the UN-designated International Anti-Corruption Day.
India's topmost statutory anti-corruption body wants you to carry out a little sting operation using the mobile phone whenever you notice corruption or you are asked for a bribe.
Just download a mobile application to be mounted on the CVC website and then you can upload the audio or video as evidence of corruption straight from the mobile. Alternatively, use a computer to upload it after registering as a 'vigeyete' on the website.
The new citizen-centric initiative of the CVC will be unveiled on Thursday at a seminar it is organising in the Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on 'empowering citizens to combat corruption'.
The new portal "Vig-Eye" will be launched
at this seminar. As a note on the CVC website states, this is an attempt to involve a wide set of stakeholders in tackling corruption that include the overnment institutions, private sector, civil society, media,
international agencies and academic institutions.
Issues to be discussed in the seminar include engagement of civil society in addressing corruption, addressing corruption from the supply side and modernisation of the vigilance framework.
A CVC spokesman pointed out that his organisation has also initiated a project to create awareness and educate the public on anti-corruption through a campaign in electronic and print media from January 1. The aim is to reduce people's tolerance for corruption and reduce its social acceptability.
He said involvement of the citizens in recording corruption for the CVC is the next step in the provision for whistle blowers and their protection mounted in 2004 to handle their complaints and provide them protection.
The CVC has been paying especial attention to such complaints and probing them in a time-bound manner while providing due protection to the complainants.
A legislation has been now initiated by the government in Parliament to convert this resolution of CVC into an Act to further empower it in rotecting the whistle blowers, the spokesman added.
