Deputy Prime Minister and Urban Development Minister, Prakash Man Singh, has asserted that the entire nation should be united to put an end to corruption that undermined the democratic institutions and the State system as well.

Addressing a programme marking the International Anti-Corruption Day here today, Deputy Prime Minister Singh said the present government is working towards eliminating corruption through the required policy and legal measures. The Day is being marked in Nepal under the theme- 'Building Tomorrow's Integrity: Anti-Corruption Solidarity with Youths'.

"Corruption is an organized crime; it retards the nation's development by promoting bribery and economic indiscipline. It increases political instability by affecting the election system. The government is carrying out works with the thinking that the State should be stringent and ruthless when it comes to minimizing and checking corruption," he said.

DPM Singh said: "Corruption control is a mandatory condition for good governance. The form of corruption is also becoming complex with the development of technology. The State should be more active in the fight against corruption. All the responsible officials under the State apparatus should be one on this and move ahead accordingly."

President of the Parliamentary Public Account Committee, Rishikesh Pokhrel stressed on the need of all the concerned agencies to be united for preventing and checking corruption as the topic of corruption is serious based on the Annual Report of the Auditor General.

Stating that good governance could not be maintained as the 'middlemen were dominant' in the key agencies under the State mechanism, he emphasized on putting an end to corruption by formulating the necessary laws.

Ramhari Khatiwada, President of the House of Representatives, State Affairs and Good Governance Committee, said that since good governance can be achieved if the leadership of any organisation was honest, the political parties and the State should pay attention towards this.

He said that the Committee will hold discussions and decide soon on the two bills related to the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) that have landed in the Committee.

"Corruption is a global problem; we have made best of efforts for ending corruption. Two bills related to CIAA have landed in the Committee. We will deliberate on them and pass them without any delay," he reiterated.

CIAA Chief Commissioner Prem Kumar Rai pledged for continued efforts for promotion of good governance. He expressed his confidence that the Anti-Corruption Bill and the Bill Related to CIAA that are under the consideration of the Parliament will be passed at the soonest.

"The CIAA has adopted reformative policy on the side of development and good governance. The trend of lodging of complaints with CIAA is increasing. The public entities should be strong and capable in preventing and controlling corruption. All the three tiers of the State need to pay attention for minimization of corruption," Chief Commissioner Rai asserted.

President of Transparency International Nepal, Madan Krishna Shrestha expressed his concern, saying the corruption-related problem is increasing day by day. He called for the entire State to be one on ending corruption and upholding good governance.

Government Chief Secretary, Eaknarayan Aryal opined that a heinous crime like corruption is not limited within the borders of any country. He stressed on the need of cooperation and collaboration among the governmental public and private sectors as well as the civil society for reining in corruption.

Secretary at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (OPMCM), Phanindra Gautam said that the Anti-Corruption Law which was enforced since December 5, 2005 is currently under implementation in 191 countries of the world. He said the International Anti-Corruption Day is observed throughout the world on December 9 every year to voice against the scourge of corruption across the globe.

It was shared in the programme that the United Nations General Assembly had recognized December 9 as the International Anti-Corruption Day in 2003 and Nepal had ratified the Anti-Corruption Convention in 2011.