Arvind Kejriwal launches the anti-corruption helpline in Delhi
The Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party marked the completion of its 50 days in power in Delhi by re-launching the anti-corruption helpline number - 1031. The service can be used by people to lodge complaints if they are harassed for bribes by government official.
The helpline is a revival of the service which the AAP government had launched during its earlier 49-day stint after the 2013 Assembly elections.
"Last time our party was in power for 49 days, we had launched this helpline. We are re-launching it today," Mr Kejriwal said while launching the helpline.
A dedicated helpline for reporting cases of corruption was one of the major promises made by AAP in its manifesto for the Assembly elections this year.
A group of volunteers has been trained to run the 24/7 helpline and attend the calls in English and Hindi. The executives will also direct the callers on how to conduct sting operations. All the calls will be divided into two categories - serious and non-serious.
"You can complain against bribe demands by a government official or can report corruption if you have recorded audio or video evidence against an officer. Within 48 hours, a member of the anti-corruption branch will contact you and collect your evidence for further investigation," explained a call handler on the 1031 helpline number to the Press Trust of India.
Any sting video or audio clip will be put through a forensic test during the investigation, which will be handled by the anti-corruption branch of Delhi government.
According to statistics released by AAP during its previous tenure, the helpline received over one lakh phone, most of which were against Delhi Police.
Government sources tell NDTV that with re-launch of 1031 the government will be able to cater to around 10,000 calls per day as opposed to the previous count of 1000 calls per day.
The state government has also decided to strengthen the Anti-Corruption Branch by increasing funds from Rs. 8 crore to Rs. 15 crore and inspector posts to 40.