Central Vigilance Commissioner Pradeep Kumar said new laws like the False Claims Law would empower citizens to fight corruption by providing a provision through which anyone can seek punishment and recovery of money from a contractor who charges extra money from the government and delivers less than the contracted quantity of quality of goods and services.
The official said that earlier, anti-corruption efforts were focussed on the demand side of corruption like public servants who received or solicited bribes. But now there was need to focus on the supply side of corruption — offering of bribes.
The CVC has also recommended that, like many other countries, ethics should be included as a mandatory part of school curriculum in India to deal with corruption by changing the value systems.
Speaking at the ninth anniversary celebrations of the Vigilance Study Circle, Hyderabad, the official said that imbibing ethical values was the key to combatting corruption and organisations should promote ethical work culture in their workplaces. He added that it was the top leadership, which had to set the tone for this.
Mr Kumar added that various regulatory changes in this direction were being contemplated.