Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 30: In a concerted effort to combat corruption and promote a culture of honesty and integrity, several organizations and institutions observed Vigilance Awareness Week 2023 with the theme “Say No to Corruption; Commit to the Nation.”
This dedicated week, celebrated every year in accordance with the directives of the Central Vigilance Commission, serves as a crucial tool to enhance public awareness about the perils of corruption and mobilize a commitment to eradicate it.
Northern Railway, one of India’s most significant rail networks, has always been at the forefront of implementing effective measures to address corruption due to its vast public interface.
To engage the public and collaborate in the fight against corruption, Northern Railway has initiated Vigilance Awareness Week from October 30, 2023, to November 5, 2023.
On the occasion of the inauguration of this week, the General Manager of Northern Railway, Shobhan Chaudhuri, administered the integrity pledge to all staff and officers at the Northern Railway Headquarters, located at Baroda House in New Delhi. This pledge signifies their unwavering commitment to stand against corruption.
Throughout the ensuing week, Northern Railway has planned a myriad of activities, including quizzes, debates, seminars, street plays (Nukkad Natak), and station visits, to engage both staff and passengers in raising awareness about the detrimental effects of corruption.
The Airport Authority of India, Civil Airport Jammu, has also embraced the mission to eliminate corruption.
They organized a pledge-taking ceremony for all the stakeholders and passengers, emphasizing their commitment to eradicating corruption from the nation.
Approximately 115 staff members from various stakeholders of Jammu airport, including the Airport Authority of India, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Jammu and Kashmir Police, airlines operators, concessionaires, and contracting agencies, enthusiastically participated in this ceremony.
The Airport Director, SK Garg, underlined that this initiative is part of the week-long celebrations of Vigilance Awareness Week 2023, adhering to the theme “Say No to Corruption; Commit to the Nation.”
The collective dedication of stakeholders at Jammu airport highlights their determination to promote ethical practices and uphold integrity, setting a precedent for a corruption-free aviation industry in India.
The Jammu and Kashmir Police took the fight against corruption to heart as they marked the commencement of Vigilance Awareness Week 2023.
Pledge-taking Ceremonies were facilitated at all Police establishments throughout the Jammu Zone. Inspector General of Police, Jammu Zone, Anand Jain, administered the integrity pledges to the staff at the Zonal Police Headquarters in Jammu.
During this ceremony, officers and constables pledged to uphold the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and good governance.
They also vowed to eradicate corruption and oppose all its forms, emphasizing the importance of honesty and integrity in their work.
Simultaneously, pledge functions were held at all Jammu-based District Police headquarters and Police establishments.
A pledge ceremony was held at Police Headquarters, Srinagar as well, where AIG (Training/Policy) PHQ, JS Johar administered pledged to the officers and personnel of Police Headquarters.
There, the officers and personnel pledged to promote ethical business practices and foster a culture of honesty and integrity. They pledged to adhere to relevant laws, rules, and compliance mechanism in the conduct of business, adopt a code of ethics for all employees, sensitize employees of law, and regulations to their work for honest discharge of duties.
They also promised to provide grievance redressal and whistle blower mechanism for reporting grievances and fraudulent activities, and to protect the rights and interest of stakeholders and the society at large.
The Traffic Range Headquarters, Jammu also organized a pledge ceremony, bringing together the traffic staff of Range Traffic Headquarters, Jammu, Camp Office Traffic Headquarters, Jammu and Kashmir, Jammu, and Traffic Rural, Jammu.
Shridhar Patil, DIG Traffic Range Jammu, led the ceremony and administered the pledge to the officers during the event.
He stressed the significance of adhering to the contents of the pledge to serve the nation with a spirit of transparency, accountability, and honesty.
The presence of several key figures, including Vinay Kumar, SSP Traffic Rural Jammu, Gurjot Kour, CPO RTHQ Jammu, and Ramesh Kataria, DySP, Private Secretary to DIG Traffic Jammu, underscored the collective commitment to the cause of integrity and transparency in the traffic management sector.
A pledge taking ceremony as part of the Vigilance Awareness Week was also organised at RPHQ Rajouri, where Dr Mohammad Haseeb Mughal, DIG Rajouri-Poonch Range, administered the integrity pledge to the officers and officials of RPHQ Rajouri.
As part of the programme, a special lecture was also delivered by the DIG Rajouri-Poonch Range that made the participants aware about the importance of the Vigilance Awareness Campaign. He emphasized that observance of Vigilance Awareness Week is one of the primary tools of preventive vigilance and reaffirmed the commitment of upholding the integrity in public governance.
It was further decided in the event that more such outreach programmes and activities would be conducted regarding the preventive vigilance measures with an objective of eliminating corruption in public life.
To address the issue of corruption at the local level, a pledge ceremony was also observed by Reasi Police as part of “Vigilance Awareness Week.”
The initiative was carried out across all Police establishments in District Reasi. Under the guidance of SSP Reasi, Amit Gupta, the main pledge ceremony took place at DPL Reasi.
During this ceremony, SSP Reasi, along with DySP Headquarters Reasi, Neeraj Padyar and SHO Reasi, Vijay Sharma, administered the oath to the police personnel to work collectively towards eradicating corruption and opposing all its forms.
The officers and constables pledged to maintain the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and good governance.
SSP Reasi emphasized that corruption remains a significant obstacle to the economic, political, and social progress of the country. He urged all stakeholders, including governments, citizens, and private sectors, to join forces in the fight against corruption and dedicate themselves to honesty for the progress of the nation.
Ramban Police also administered pledges to the officials and personnel at all police posts, police stations, District Police Lines, and District Police Office Ramban.
At District Police Office, SSP Ramban, Mohita Sharma, administered oaths to the officials and jawans.
While interpreting the ingredients of the pledge, the SSP Ramban said that the main objective of organising such programmes is to take a commitment for leading from the front in eradicating the menace of the corruption and in maintaining the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and good governance.
The Directorate of Health Services Jammu also marked the Vigilance Awareness Week 2023 by holding a pledge-taking ceremony.
The event was attended by Director Health Services Jammu, Dr Rajeev Kumar Sharma, along with several key officials and staff members.
“Corruption has long been identified as a significant obstacle to economic, political, and social progress in India. Vigilance Awareness Week is a critical instrument in increasing public awareness about the dangers of corruption,” Dr Rajeev Kumar Sharma said during the ceremony.
Deputy Director Dentistry, Dr Sanjay Sharma, emphasized the importance of this week, highlighting the need for ethical practices and integrity in the healthcare sector.
All the officers and officials of the Directorate took the integrity pledge, committing to refrain from offering or accepting bribes and vowing to conduct their tasks in an honest and transparent manner.
Vigilance Awareness Week and UT Foundation Day events were also organised by IRP 11th Battalion in Anantnag.
Under the guidance of Commanding Officer 11th Battalion, Sandeep Mehta, SSP, the integrity pledges were administered to the senior officers and officials of the Battalion with an objective of eradicating the menace of corruption from the force.
A painting and debate competition was also organised to strengthen the police-public relations in the conference hall of the IRP 11th Battalion, wherein various schools of the District Anantnag participated and delivered their thoughts on drug issues, police-public relations, development works and environmental issues.
The officers attending the programme also delivered lectures on the subject “UT Foundation Day theme-Badalta Jammu Kashmir-Aman Aur Taraqqi Ki Nai Tasveer.”
The National Institute of Technology (NIT) Srinagar conducted a pledge ceremony in all the departments and centres within the institution.
In a solemn gathering at the Committee room, Director NIT Srinagar, Prof Sudhakar Yedla, administered the integrity pledge to the office’s staff.
“Today, as we gather to mark Vigilance Awareness Week, we pledge to stand united in our commitment to eradicate corruption from the roots. The essence of integrity and accountability must resonate throughout our institution,” he said.
Prof Yedla said that the fight against the corruption is not a one-time effort but a continuous journey.
“We must hold ourselves to highest standards, not just in words but in our actions and decisions,” he said.
The Government SPMR College of Commerce, Jammu took an active stance in promoting ethical business practices and a culture of honesty and integrity.
The college’s Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC), NCC, NSS, and ECO Club organized a pledge-taking ceremony with the theme “Say No to Corruption and Yes to Nation.”
The pledge was administered to faculty and students, including Rupal Salathia, a student of the 5th semester, who read the pledge in both Hindi and English.
The event aimed to create a commitment to not offer or accept bribes and to maintain ethical practices in all aspects of life.
Faculty members, including Prof Savita Jamwal, NCC ANO, Dr Monika Malhotra, IQAC Coordinator, Dr Nazia Rasool, HoD EVS, Prof Reeta Menia, Prof Deepshikha Sharma, NSS PO, Dr Sarabjeet Kour, and Raman Kumar Sharma, participated in the event.
The Government Degree College (GDC) RS Pura celebrated Vigilance Awareness Week from October 30, 2023, to November 5, 2023, with the theme “Say No to Corruption, Commit to the Nation.”
The college’s focus during the celebrations included educating the community about the perils of corruption, instilling the spirit of participative vigilance, and reaffirming the commitment of all stakeholders to uphold integrity in public governance.
The commencement of Vigilance Week at GDC RS Pura began with the Principal, Dr Rajni Bhagat, along with faculty members and staff, taking the integrity pledge.
The event was conducted under the supervision of committee members of Bhrastachar Mukt Jammu and Kashmir.
The college has also planned a series of outreach programs and activities for the public and citizens during Vigilance Awareness Week, further emphasizing their dedication to the cause.
The Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) of GDC Vijaypur inaugurated Vigilance Awareness Week 2023 with an integrity pledge ceremony.
Principal of the College, along with all faculty members, actively participated in the event. The pledge was administered by Dr Gunjeet Mahiwal, Lecturer in the Department of Education.
The main aim of these celebrations is to create awareness about the threats associated with corruption and promote a culture of honesty and integrity in governance.
The college emphasized the importance of engaging the youth, who represent the future of India, in various activities that underline the significance of Vigilance Awareness Week. This annual observance commemorates the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, a significant figure in India’s history.
While addressing the gathering, the Principal of the college, Prof (Dr) Vandana Gupta, stressed the importance of transparency and accountability in governance as essential means for the all-round development of the nation.
Chenab Valley Power Projects Pvt. Ltd. (CVPPPL) also observed the Vigilance Awareness Week in its Corporate Office Jammu and at different project sites.
Integrity pledges were administered to all the officials by Vasant Hurmade, General Manager CVPPPL at CVPPPLCO Jammu.
Several events like poem recitations, debate quiz, essay writing competition, are also planned to be organised for the employees of the CVPPPL and their families.
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