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India's Delhi Government Launches Anti-Corruption Helpline
BBC NEWS, INDIA
January 9, 2014: the government in the Indian capital, Delhi, has launched a helpline to assist people deal with demands for bribes by government workers. The anti-corruption helpline is an initiative of the new Aam Aadmi (Common Man's) Party (AAP) which governs Delhi with support from the Congress party.
The AAP was born out of a strong anti-corruption movement across India. The party is led by Arvind Kejriwal, a former civil servant-turned-activist who is now chief minister of Delhi.
Setting up stings
The helpline - open for 12 hours every day- began working from Monday. Callers can leave behind their names, details of their complaint and contact number with the helpline. A government official is then supposed to call each caller back and offer tips on how to "trap" the bribe taker by setting up a sting operation.
"It is not a complaint number. It is a helpline number, where people will be advised and explained by an anti-corruption department official on how to conduct a sting operation [on the bribe taker]," Mr Kejriwal said. "The sting could be done either in visual or audio mode. After doing the sting, the person should get back to the same advisor, following which a trap will be laid [by anti-corruption officers] to arrest the accused," he said.
Mr Kejriwal said every citizen of Delhi with a phone will "become an anti-corruption crusader". "The purpose of launching this helpline is to create fear in the minds of corrupt individuals. There are certain fish that turn the water filthy. It [the helpline] will act as deterrence as such people should fear that they might be under surveillance," he said.
The Indian Express newspaper called the move "unprecedented in governance". Mr Kejriwal's party won 28 of the 70 seats in last month's Delhi elections on a pledge to fight corruption and clean up politics. Encouraged by the performance, the party has decided to contest the parliamentary elections, which are likely to be held in April or May.
