Government departments of the State rife with corruption; action against 989 individuals during the year

• Sad state of Government departments as corruption has become an integral part of their functioning

• 48 first-class officers involved in corruption

Mumbai – The Anti-Corruption Bureau has unveiled a disappointing reality, bribes are permeating through all levels of the state’s Government departments. Between 1st January and 8th November 2023, the Anti-Corruption Bureau took action against 989 officials and employees engaged in accepting bribes across 47 Government departments. Notably, this group comprises 48 first-class and 124 second-class officers.

Sudhir Dani from Belapur uncovered this information through a Right to Information request, and these statistics are accessible on the Anti-Corruption Bureau’s website.

Within this context, the highest count of 182 cases emerged within the Revenue Department, followed by 129 cases within the Police Department where individuals were caught accepting bribes. Due to a lack of Government authorisation, the investigation into 353 Government employees remains pending. Nashik Revenue Division reported the highest number of 144 bribery cases, succeeded by 126 in the Pune Division and 116 in Sambhajinagar. These instances were brought to the fore following complaints to the Anti-Corruption Bureau. However, it is probable that the actual count of unreported victims far exceeds these figures. Despite proclamations of ‘corruption-free India’, the data indicates that corruption within Government departments is still prevalent and shows no signs of abating.

Editorial Perspective

Confiscating all assets from these corrupt individuals and marginalising them within society could, to some extent, help curb corruption.