Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said today his government has enforced a "zero tolerance" policy against corruption.
To buttress his point, Rawat asserted that 22 people have so far been arrested in connection with the over Rs 300-crore NH-74 compensation scam in the state. The alleged scam had taken place during the previous regime.
In his address on the eve of Independence Day, the chief minister said: "We have strictly enforced a zero tolerance policy against corruption right from the day we formed the government. We ordered an SIT probe into the compensation scam which took place during the previous regime. Twenty-two people have so far been jailed in this connection."
Rawat claimed that the probe agencies have been given a free-hand and they have launched unbiased investigation into scams in scholarship, teacher recruitment, food, and the State Infrastructure and Industrial Development Corporation Ltd (Sidcul).
He mentioned a slew of measures taken to ensure transparency in governance. Rawat said while the government has implemented a transfer policy, e-tenders in mining and other departments have helped increase revenue. He said welfare schemes of the state government are being monitored on a real-time basis through "CM dashboard".
A total of 162 new services have been brought under the Right to Service Act, Rawat said, adding that the total number of services brought under the purview of this Act now stands at 312.
The chief minister said that the country has come a long way in the last 70 years after Independence and "We need to fulfil the dream of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's new India".
He said that he is working hard to ensure that Uttarakhand contributes fairly in building the "new India".
Rawat praised the prime minister for the "historic hike" in minimum support price (MSP) for kharif crops. He said the decision is directly benefitting thousands of farmers in Uttarakhand.
The chief minister also highlighted a number of development initiatives taken by his government, including to boost religious tourism in the state.
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