Corruption among Kerala govt employees remains high; 539 people under scrutiny, TVM leads

Kollam: Despite regular inspections, corruption and bribery cases among Kerala government employees continue to rise.

Over the past three and a half years, the Vigilance Department has uncovered corruption and bribery cases involving 539 government employees across various departments. Of the registered cases, 323 are related to corruption and 216 to bribery.

The highest number of cases have been registered against employees in the Local Self-Government Department. Other departments such as Revenue, Cooperation, Police, and Transport also show a significant number of cases. A total of 126 cases have been registered against officials in the Local Self-Government Department, 101 against Revenue officials, 41 against Cooperation department employees, and 27 against police officers.

District-wise breakdown of cases

Thiruvananthapuram district reported the highest number of cases, with 74 corruption cases and 14 bribery cases. Kozhikode district follows with 61 cases, and Thrissur with 53 cases. Alappuzha and Kasaragod districts recorded fewer cases.

From 2018 to 2023, the Vigilance Department registered corruption cases involving 561 government employees. However, in the past four years, the number of cases has risen, attributed to stricter inspections and actions by the authorities. Despite this, public complaints against government employees continue to remain high.

Vigilance officers highlight that removing corrupt officials from service is a major hurdle, allowing corruption to persist. Although several officers have been caught taking bribes, some have become experts at finding alternative methods to collect bribes without direct cash transactions.

The Vigilance has started compiling a list of corrupt officials to submit to the government, and actions have already been taken against around 40 employees.