Make a phone call and get your bribe back !!!

If you had paid a bribe for availing of any government service in Andhra Pradesh in the recent days, just dial 1100 and report the matter.

Chances are that the corrupt government servant who fleeced you may possibly come knocking on your door to return the amount.

Andhra Pradesh government launched an integrated grievance redressal channel as part of its realtime governance initiative to build a “happy, healthy and sustainable society”.

The channel is called ‘People First’. Under the initiative, citizens can dial 1100 to register complaints about government services and schemes, which will be escalated to the department concerned in realtime for redressal.

Complaints posted on social media platforms and news reports in the mainstream media will also be integrated with People First.

“Our focus in people-centric governance and elimination of corruption. Our goal is a happy, healthy and sustainable society. Corruption causes dissatisfaction among people. We have to root it out,” Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said, launching People First at a two-day conference of district Collectors.

With a recent nation-wide survey report placing Andhra Pradesh at the second place after Karnataka as the most corrupt state in the country, the Chandrababu regime has launched this exercise to showcase its fight against corruption.

"So far 12 persons had returned the bribe amounts to the citizens in the past few days. In one instance in Kurnool district, a panchayat secretary had returned (bribe) money to 10 citizens (in separate cases)," chief minister Chandrababu Naidu said.

The 'People First' grievance redressal channel launched by the government on May 25 seems to be "working wonders" and "sending chills down the spines of (corrupt) public servants", some government functionaries have said.

"The 1100 call centre has been receiving tremendous response. It's a good effort to cleanse the society. Scared government officials are returning the bribe amounts to citizens," advisor (communications) to the government P Prabhakar said. However, a senior bureaucrat said the initiative is just a message to people that even if they have paid any bribe, they can expect it to be returned as the government is taking the calls to 1100 seriously.

"Procedural inquiries are essential for any punitive action against public servants," the bureaucrat said.

Interestingly, the bribe amounts being returned are just about 500 to 1,000 in individual cases and also there is no action taken as such on the identified corrupt. However, there is no assurance from the government that bribes (taken) will be returned in every case, except that the complainant or bribe-giver will be "protected".

Source:- Leading news agencies in India.

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