Civil service should be brought under social audit: Kerala CM

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday stressed the need for social audit in civil service and said the objective of his government was to make it efficient and corruption-free.

Noting that it was through the civil service that the activities and programmes of a government were reaching the people, he said there should not be any situation in which common people face difficulty in availing their deserved services at the state-run offices.

The Marxist veteran said his government was particular in bringing changes in the outdated rules and regulations for the sake of ordinary people and urged the officials to bring to its notice about such rules which demand a timely updation.

“On one side, we have to improve our civil service and on the other side, it should be brought under social audit. The effective implementation and the strict monitoring should go hand-in-hand for a people-friendly civil service,” Vijayan said.

He was speaking after inaugurating a symposium on “Nava Keralam and Civil Service”, jointly organised by prominent service outfits- Kerala Gazetted Officers’ Association (KGOA) and the Non-Gazetted Officers’ Association here.

Pointing out that the rules and regulations are for the sake of common people, he said the government could not continue such laws which stand against the interests of the state.

The government’s thrust was to change and revise such rules and regulations according to the priorities of people, the Chief Minister added.

A small group in the civil service was still indulging in corruption, he said adding the government would make no compromise in ending the menace.

“What the government expects is creative interventions from the civil service. Our objective is to build up an efficient and contended civil service in the state,” Vijayan said.