Published May 26, 2026 | 9:55 PM ⚊ Updated May 26, 2026 | 9:55 PM
Project Zero
Synopsis: Stressing that access to government services without paying bribes is a fundamental right and not a favour extended by the administration, Chennithala said corruption has evolved over time and increasingly adopted new forms. Project Zero, he added, will rely heavily on modern technology to strengthen transparency and ensure that corrupt officials are brought to book.
As part of the newly launched Project Zero anti-corruption campaign, Kerala government is set to encourage public participation by allowing citizens to upload video evidence of government employees demanding bribes through the official Vigilance portal.
Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said informants whose submissions are verified and found genuine after a detailed Vigilance inquiry will receive a reward of ₹5,000. He assured that the identities of complainants would remain strictly confidential.
The minister said the initiative is designed not only to detect corruption but also to prevent it before it occurs.
Stressing that access to government services without paying bribes is a fundamental right and not a favour extended by the administration, Chennithala said corruption has evolved over time and increasingly adopted new forms.
Project Zero, he added, will rely heavily on modern technology to strengthen transparency and ensure that corrupt officials are brought to book.
Describing the initiative as a transformative step in governance, the minister said the primary objective was to ensure that citizens receive services from government offices without having to pay bribes. He added that modern technology would be deployed to detect and prevent corruption, including emerging forms of digital and financial misconduct.
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The state government on Tuesday, 26 May, has launched Project Zero, a statewide anti-corruption campaign aimed at eliminating bribery and ensuring transparent delivery of public services.
Announcing the initiative after a high-level meeting of the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB), Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said the government would follow a strict zero-tolerance approach towards corruption.
Chennithala urged the public to actively support the campaign by reporting instances of corruption directly to the VACB, assuring that the identity of whistleblowers would be kept confidential.
He said vigilance authorities would pursue corrupt officials and public representatives without exception, stressing that no individual would be shielded from scrutiny.
As part of the project, the government also plans to strengthen internal vigilance mechanisms, provide specialised training to officials and update the decades-old Vigilance Manual to meet contemporary requirements.
Chennithala said the broader goal of Project Zero is to create an efficient, transparent and accountable administrative system where public services are delivered fairly and without corruption.
(With inputs from Dileep V Kumar)
