Asserting that the UPA Government is deeply committed to the objective of combating corruption, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on Friday said an array of historical legislations has been enacted to make the work of the government more transparent and accountable.
Addressing media persons here, Dr. Singh said: "We are deeply committed to the objective of combating corruption. An array of historical legislations has been enacted to make the work of the government transparent and accountable. Governance has been made more answerable as never before. Most of you have been routinely using the Right to Information Act to access government documents which was not possible earlier."
"There is much public concern on high profile allegations of corruption, notably in regard to 2G spectrum allocations, coal block allocations and cases related to land. We have taken major steps to change the existing procedures for allocation of spectrum and coal by shifting to auctions so that these problems do not arise in future," he said.
"Where some decisions taken earlier, when allocations were made administratively, have come under question, they are being investigated. Any wrong doing will be punished through due process of law," he added.
He further said that land issues are in the domain of the state governments and we have consistently advised state governments to ensure transparency in these cases.
On the external environment, Dr. Singh said: "The one lesson we shall all learn from our experience over the past decade is that the world around us is becoming more challenging."
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"This is both a function of our greater integration with the world and of the international community's expectations from a rising India. This is India's manifest destiny. We should recognize it as such and learn to deal with it," he added.
Emphasising that India will continue to invest in its defence and national security, in providing security to its own people and ensuring regional security and stability, Dr. Singh said: " At the same time, we will continue to seek better relations with our immediate neighbours knowing that the destiny of the Indian sub-continent is linked through a shared history and a shared geography. "
"It has also been my effort to build long term, stable and mutually beneficial relations with all major powers and all our Asian neighbours. We should continue to benefit from global opportunities and contribute to global efforts in creating and managing global institutions to deal with global challenges," he added.