Ramon Magsaysay Award winner Chaturvedi expresses displeasure with PMO

“I had submitted all the evidence against the corrupt officers to PMO and demanded an inquiry. But, what I got was a defamatory press statement issued by the health ministry.”

Sanjiv Chaturvedi’s his battle against graft earned the international recognition with the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award. The award, one of Asia’s best-known, honours integrity in governance and public service. Besides Chaturvedi, founder of NGO Goonj, Anshu Gupta, has also been selected for the award.

Over the years, Chaturvedi fought corrupt elements and left no stones unturned to ensure that justice was done.

He had to pay price for that: transferred about 12 times in the past five years, the Indian Forest Service Officer was removed from the post of Chief Vigilance Officer of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Delhi. He is still attached to AIIMS as its deputy secretary, but it’s a posting which was inflicted on him by the government almost like retribution – a fact which deeply disturbs Chaturvedi.

“In the last one year I have been harassed and my character has been assassinated. The health ministry, with which I have worked closely, had issued a defamatory statement against me last year. The entire incident was so unfortunate. But I believe god has been kind towards me. Time and time again he keeps rewarding me for all the good deeds I have done,” Chaturvedi told a leading India daily.

He expressed disappointment over the functioning of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and alleged that his ‘own’ government has assassinated his character. “I am extremely disappointed with the way PMO worked in my case. I had submitted all the evidence against the corrupt officers to PMO and demanded an inquiry. But, what I got was a defamatory press statement issued by the health ministry.”

Chaturvedi said he had taken action in a number of cases of alleged corruption involving senior officials and powerful people, taking inspiration from Prime Minister Narendra Modi ‘s slogan ‘Na Khaunga, Na Khane Dunga’ (neither will I take bribe, nor will I allow anyone to take bribe). But he was unsuccessful. Chaturvedi has decided to donate the cash amount, which he will receive as part of the award, to AIIMS for the benefit of poor patients.