VACB launches ‘Project Zero’ to make Kerala corruption-free

Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala on Tuesday announced the launch of ‘Project Zero’, an anti-corruption initiative by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) that aims at making Kerala a corruption-free State.

As part of the drive, he also announced a reward of ₹5,000 for people who provide video evidence of corruption or bribery incidents. The identity of complaints would be kept strictly confidential.

Addressing a press conference after convening a meeting of high-level vigilance officers, the Minister said the State government’s goal is not just to reduce corruption, but to eliminate it completely through phased and systematic measures.

Pledging that no corrupt official would be tolerated, Mr. Chennithala said citizens must receive government services without having to pay bribes, and such services are not acts of generosity from the government but the rightful entitlement of the people.

He observed that corruption has evolved with changing times and often involves modern technology. Therefore, Project Zero has been designed with the support of advanced technological systems. The priority, he said, will not only be detecting corruption after it occurs, but preventing such incidents before they happen.

While elaborating on the need for an effective vigilance mechanism in the State, he lamented that the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018, has created challenges in registering and investigating corruption cases against senior officials and elected representatives without prior sanction from appointing authorities. Mr. Chennithala had earlier moved the Supreme Court against certain “problematic” provisions in the law.

The Minister also announced plans to modernise the Vigilance Manual, which was originally drafted in 1969. He said a revised draft has already been prepared and would soon be finalised after review by the Home Department.

He added that the government has decided to strengthen the vigilance system further, improve case disposal mechanisms, and use technology to expedite investigations and legal procedures. Besides, internal vigilance system in various departments would also be strengthened and training programmes would be conducted for officials to improve anti-corruption measures.