quot;Scrap Official Secrets Actquot;

CHANDIGARH, Dec 13: The local authorities should get more power as more of decentralisation would mean less corruption. This was stated by G.V. Gupta, a retired IAS officer, at a seminar on Bureaucracy, Corruption and the Common Man, organised here today by Janshakti under the auspices of Servants of the People Society. This was the first of a series of five seminars on the topic.

He said the Supreme Court should check the powers of ministers and bureaucrats. He added that there should be transparency and the Officials8217; Secret Act should be scrapped. quot;Right to information should be made a fundamental right,quot; he said.

Prof Satya Deva, formerly in the PU8217;s department of Public Administration, suggested a special agency which will report to the Parliament to check the corruption of the bureaucrats. He said the education system should be made honest.

Former IAS officer P.C. Suri decried the quot;mediocrequot; level of recruitment of IAS officers and lack of emphasis on their training.

Others who spoke the included Servants of the People Society secretary Onkar Chand, Janshakti convenor P.P. Arya, Prof V.C. Nanda and Air marshal Randhir Singh.