Corruption-free govt possible without Lokayukta: Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Wednesday said providing a corruption-free and transparent government is possible even without a Lokayukta. However, Rawat said that he was not against the creation of the anti-corruption ombudsman organisation in the state.

"In the last three years of our tenure we have proved that corruption-free good governance can be given to the people even without the Lokayukta," the chief minister said. 

"Though I am not saying the Lokayukta will not be created, our government believes in working in a manner that the need for a Lokayukta does not arise," Rawat told a press conference on completing three years in office. 

The Lokayukta Bill was introduced in the state assembly in its very first session after the BJP government took over and the legislation is now a property of the House, the chief minister said. Rawat said his government launched a massive crackdown on corruption within a week of sweeping to power in 2017 by ordering an investigation into the multi-crore rupees NH-74 scam.

"Many officials, including the senior-most were either suspended or jailed for their involvement in the scam. Corruption in governance was a big issue in the last polls and we started our fight against it as soon as coming to power," Rawat said.

He said the last three years of BJP rule in Uttarakhand had seen the state secretariat getting free from the clutches of the mafia. Rawat also spoke of the steps taken by his government towards e-governance for the sake of greater transparency. He also highlighted steps to bring big ticket investments to the state that will generate employment opportunities for locals and curb migration.

The chief minister said a large-scale investors summit was held in Dehradun in 2018. It has already brought investments worth Rs 21,000-crore to the state which will provide employment to 56,000 people, he said.  The state government has set up a Rural Development and Migration Commission to explore methods not only to stop migration from the hills but also to begin the process of reverse migration, Rawat said.

Schemes like '13 Districts-13 New Destinations', homestay for tourists and rural growth centres where locals can market their products, are some of the major programmes aimed at stopping migration from hilly areas, he said. Noting that Uttarakhand is already reaping the advantages of double engine governance, Rawat said the Centre has already sanctioned infrastructure development projects worth Rs 94,000 crore to the state. The BJP is in power both at the Centre and in Uttarakhand.

"If you draw a comparison between our performance and those of previous governments, we have done more in three years than they did in 10 years," he said.  

Rawat also highlighted the efforts made by the state government to give a push to green energy like solar energy and generating power out of dry pine leaves.  The chief minister said during the remaining two years of his government, it will continue to work on the agenda of giving corruption-free governance focused on development.