ADB promises to step up ties with ACC
FE Report | Thursday, 25 January 2018
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has initiated preventive measures alongside arrests and actions to stop spread of graft, the head of the anti-sleaze watchdog said Wednesday.
The commission has formed 'Satata Sangha' (integrity units) at 21,000 secondary schools and 600 'Satata Store' across the country to keep the future generation away from corruption, ACC chairman Iqbal Mahmood said.
Mr Mahmood disclosed this at a meeting with the country director of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Bangladesh Manmohan Parkash at the ACC headquarters in the city to discuss the issues of mutual cooperation.
Speaking at the meeting, the ACC boss said, "The commission hasn't limited its activities only to arresting and correcting corrupts, rather we have put in place various preventive measures."
Referring to different ACC measure to stem the spread of corruption, he said as part of changing peoples' attitude, the commission has been campaigning against graft in secondary schools to grow anti-graft attitude among the future generations.
So far, ACC has created 'Satata Sangha' in 21,000 schools and assisted around 600 schools to open up 'Satata Store' to develop moral values among the youngsters through entertainment means, he added.
He noted that peoples' perception about the anti-graft body has been changing and the commission has been receiving earnest support from the government, media, civil society and the general people.
Terming the ADB a "tested partner" in developing Bangladesh, Mr Mahmood sought support from the Asian lender to strengthen the commission's capacity to wage crusade against corruption.
Speaking at the meeting, the ADB country director lauded ACC's efforts to prevent corruption, developing moral values among the citizens, integration of technology and bringing systematic reforms to the organisation.
He also pledged his agency's support for strengthening cooperation between the two institutions.