In this Asianet News EXCLUSIVE, Former Uttar Pradesh DGP Dr. Vikram Singh voices a strong message on zero tolerance towards corruption in public service, drawing attention to the massive empire of retired Madhya Pradesh PWD Chief Engineer GP Mehra. Singh underscores that true integrity means financial honesty, abiding by government rules on reservations, appointments, and refusing illicit gifts. Sharing his stern views, he insists officials must be 'cruel to be kind' in eradicating corruption and maintaining discipline. Watch this hard-hitting interview that challenges the culture of impunity and calls for scrupulous conduct and accountability in government services.
00:00Do we have any integrity, which is the foundation of public service, any longer in our country?
00:07A man of integrity is a one-person army.
00:12Without integrity, there is no service and there cannot be any service.
00:17The or she will be a mercenary, maybe very competent.
00:21Robert Clive was very competent. So was Warren Hastings.
00:24So are so many others.
00:25But without integrity, they are absolutely good for nothing.
00:31And at the end of the day, the end product is going to be as horrible as a dishonest person.
00:36In Hindi, we have two words.
00:37Safal.
00:38Chor and Dakur are also Safal.
00:41But if it is not Sufal, Sufal is a person who is a person of integrity.
00:46He can never be defeated. He is indomitable and can never, never be defeated.
00:52And therefore, we need to have men and women of steel.
00:57People who have a passion of public service and nation building.
01:02But to your question, are we having the right human material?
01:06I would not like to believe that some engineer, and I would like to name and shame Mehra in Madhya Pradesh, recoveries of hundreds of crores, cottages, farmhouses, cars, a lady I.S. officer, recovery of crores of rupees.
01:22And nothing happens.
01:26You also have, I blame both, both the giver and the taker.
01:31As also the government and the law enforcement machinery, you have to be cruel, to be kind, to decimate corruption.
01:39You have to have zero tolerance to corrupt practices.
01:41And when I say corrupt practices, integrity means to be an integral whole.
01:46It just does not simply mean financial integrity.
01:50Financial honesty is a part of total integrity.
01:53I should abide by the government rules, government subjects on reservations, government policies in respect of appointment and postings and promotions of minorities and those belonging to the weakest sections.
02:06And also of prohibition practices.
02:08Therefore, in totality, suppose I am a senior officer, do you think for a moment that I can accept expensive gifts on the so-called birthday celebrations, New Year's, and the Holy and Diwali?
02:19No, I cannot.
02:21There are government and conduct rules on the subject that prohibit me from accepting expensive gifts.
02:28That is all a part of integrity.
02:30Can I go on social media?
02:32No, I cannot.
02:32But to go on any media, social, print or otherwise, the government has to give me permission.
02:39And that too, when the government authorizes me to speak on a subject.
02:44Otherwise...
02:44Even to start a social media platform handling, you need to have a permission.
02:48I have a permission.
02:49I can speak only on two issues without government permission.
02:54That is scientific or cultural or social.
02:58Nothing else.
02:59I cannot say with three buttons of my uniform open and I start dancing with my pistol in my hand like the bhangam.
03:06That is in very bad taste because the basic two tenets of any public servant is self-effacing and to be in the background, not to expose yourself, not to speak about I did this and I did that.
03:20It is in poor taste.
03:22It shows that the person requires psychiatric intervention.
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