It’s not just I-T refunds that it’s aiming at. The organisation has also promised people to get their Permanent Account Numbers (pan) from the I-T department without any charge. Says Roychoudhury, The I-T Department has lost a majority of the pan application forms and most people waiting for their numbers do not know that they’ll never get it. They gullibly pay bribes to department officials to find out about the status of their applications. We can get it for them, without any fee. In its crusade against corruption, Parivartan has made some suggestions to the I-T department, which, if implemented, could reduce the incidence of graft in government offices. Last year, it even filed a Public Interest Litigation (pil) in the Delhi High Court to get the suggestions implemented for the people’s welfare. The High Court directed the chief commissioner of Income-Tax, Delhi, to consider and implement these suggestions. No action, however, has been forthcoming from the department despite the court order. Parivartan has now gone ahead and filed another pil against non-implementation of the court order.
Not surprisingly, Parivartan volunteers meet with a cold response in government offices. At the I-T department, the mere mention of Parivartan now attracts disgust; even appointments are refused by the department’s top officials. The ngo’s plea to higher authorities and officials like chief vigilance commissioner N. Vittal, who himself has started a crusade against corruption, and the then finance secretary Piyush Mankad, has, unfortunately, gone little beyond assurances. Undaunted, the ngo has resolved to not only continue its crusade but also to take on all government departments with a similar record of corruption. If possible and with public support, say volunteers, the movement will be taken across the country to state government offices also. While its move against the I-T department has met with enormous response from citizens, its next target is the Delhi Vidyut Board—another haven for corruption.
In today’s scenario, where every voluntary action is looked at with suspicion, Parivartan is trying to stand out and change the trend. All it needs is recognition and support from fellow citizens. Parivartan can be contacted at 5B, Navkala Apartments, 14, I.P. Extension, Patparganj, New Delhi-92; phone: (011) 2727430, or at www. Parivartan.com (Email: parivartan_india@rediffmail.com).