he said that corruption is an impediment to faster growth and dilutes the efforts of social inclusion.
Dr. Singh said that two Bills have already been introduced in Parliament relating to judicial accountability and protection of whistle blowers. He advocated revamping the administrative practices and procedures on fast track and called for a systemic response to reduce opportunities for corruption. The Prime Minister said that the introduction of competition, greater choice and modern technology will cut down the opportunities for corruption in a meaningful manner.
Seeking support of the bureaucracy in bringing about improvements in governance, he said, delays in the decisions could be addressed to a large extent by effective decentralization and delegation of powers and responsibilities. Delays he added, is a major cause of corruption. Referring to the internal security situation, he assured states full support of the Centre in dealing with left wing extremism, cross border terrorism and religious fundamentalism. Dr. Manmohan Singh favoured waiving local taxes to tackle rising prices.
The Prime Minister said there is a need for a paradigm shift in the institutional arrangements, for improving the availability of various commodities to meet the higher levels of domestic consumption.