The Yogi Adityanath government has zero tolerance on one thing- corruption. Just like the Modi government at the centre, the Yogi government in Uttar Pradesh does not tolerate corruption and the onus to clean up the system lies with officials. Even if an official is personally not involved in corruption, s/he will be suspended if any corrupt activity takes place under his/her watch.
Abhishek Dixit, the SSP of Prayagraj, was suspended by the Yogi government because he was not following the official instructions and there were irregularities in the appointments under him. He has been accused of being involved in corruption in posting of lower level police officials and not implementing the government instructions.
“He did not do the expected in terms of directions by the government and headquarter to do regular foot patrolling, or to provide security to banks and economic business institutions or to stop the incidents of loot by bikers. He also did not do the work of checking and supervision properly. There also has been an increase in the number of pending investigations in last 3 months in Prayagraj. The directions issued by the government to ensure social distancing in wake of coronavirus pandemic was also not properly followed in the district and the High Court has also showed dissatisfaction over it,” read the statement released by the government.
Moreover, the government ordered a vigilance probe on Dixit and another official, ex-SP Mahoba Manilal Patidar. In the last three and a half years, the government has suspended more than 15 IPS officers over the charges of corruption. And, many officials have been arrested and cases are going on them for being involved in corruption. “The CM has directed for a probe by the vigilance establishment into properties of the two IPS officers-Patidar and Dixit,” as per the official statement issued by the home department on Thursday.
In order to curb corruption, CM Yogi is also looking at the implementation of e-office and has asked the officials to speed up the process. E-Office is a ‘product suit’ developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) that helps in faster clearance of files and envisions a paperless office. Successful implementation of e-office will further aid the anti-corruption agenda of Yogi Adityanath government, as it addresses the traditional slippages in government offices which have plagued the Indian executive for long.
Prior to this, CM Yogi had directed the officers on field duty to report in their offices by 9 am failing which action would be initiated against them. To ensure this, the CM has ordered the introduction of biometric attendance in all government offices and schools.
The actions taken by CM Yogi are in accordance with the centre’s move to cleanse the bureaucracy. Recently, 12 officials had been retired using the Fundamental Rule 56 (j) of Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 1972 over serious allegations of misconduct such as fraud, extortion and sexual harassment. It is welcome to see the states following the centre’s footsteps.
Akhilesh Yadav led SP government which had been in charge till 2017 in UP had created a mess in the state. When CM Yogi assumed power, he decided to curb the menace of corruption and to establish the rule of law and order in the state. So far, he has been successful in his mission.