An official announcement from New Delhi says that a Class I officer has been removed from office for having drawn excess travelling allowance from the Government.
The officer is said to have travelled by a lower class and claimed T. A. For a higher class to which he is entitled by his rank. This is one of the minor vices of officers everywhere and the time and energy spent on detecting and proving offences of this nature could be more usefully spent on ending greater forms of corruption.
All that Government has to do is to issue orders that under a socialist pattern of economy, no Government official need travel except in the third class. It is strange that the official announcemnt has not disclosed the identity of the officer who has been dismissed.
In all cases of corruption, it is full disclosure of details that will help to build morale and such publicity in itself acts as a healthy deterrent. But when action is taken against corrupt officials there is a veil of secrecy over their identity. This defeats the very purpose of pompous official notes on anti-corruption drives.
(EDIT, January 19, 1957.)
