Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu, May 25:

Pro-Public, a non-governmental organisation, has launched a grand three-year effort named Civil Society Anti-corruption Project totalling over Rs 126 million to fight corruption by mobilising civilian organisations in 10 districts all over the country.

The project will be implemented in the corruption-prone districts of Jhapa, Morang, Dhanusha, Parsa, Chitwan, Kaski, Rupandehi, Dang, Banke and Kailali that have been targeted by the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority with the intention of maikng them model ones. The NGO will establish a local office in each of these districts.

“We have launched the project with financial assistance from Enabling State Programme (ESP) and the Department For International Development (DFID) to develop “zero tolerance” towards corruption and a “why culture” among people, besides helping civil society to combat corruption,” said Kedar Khadka, director of Pro-Public at the launch ceremony today.

The project also aims to sensitise government officials, address key governance anti-corruption policies and promote decency and integrity, besides strengthening networking.

On behalf of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ), its vice-president Shiva Gaunle lauded the project launched by the pioneering NGO. “It does not, however, mean that journalists will not criticise,” Gaunle said. Several anti-corruption experts expressed concern over ‘effective utilisation’ of foreign aid from donors. The concerned stakeholders too have sought monitoring of the aid.