Dimapur: Nagaland vigilance commissioner K.T. Sukhalu, a retired IAS officer, on Monday said corruption is not new to Naga society.

"Our state debt has consistently been on the rise and yet insufficiency of funds continues to chronically debilitate our policy implementation. It is perhaps oversimplifying the problem but the underlying cause is the fact that the Naga conscience is no longer able to withstand Naga dishonesty," Sukhalu said.

The state vigilance commission was delivering the keynote address at Vigilance Awareness Week under the theme My Vision-Corruption Free India at its conference hall in Kohima on Monday.

He said both the public and government are equally responsible for mass corruption. "It is unfortunate that we all are familiar with issues like cheating in examis, poorly executed bridges, roads and buildings, banks and finance scams, prescribing unnecessary medicines and surgeries, proxy teachers, ghost employees, social organisations discrediting genuine public grie-vances for individual gains."

Sukhalu said corruption is an all-pervasive issue and it has become such an accepted norm in our society. He lauded the social organisations, including churches, for creating awareness on the importance and long-term consequences of clean elections since the general perception of the public is that the root of corruption lies in elections. However, he said the fight against corruption should be taken beyond the electoral process.

He urged each and every individual, particularly government servants, to be responsible and show a higher degree of morality.

The programme was chaired by commission secretary Sehjang Doungel.

Pledge: As part of Vigilance Awareness Week, a pledge-taking ceremony was held on Monday at Janata Bhawan in Guwahati. An integrity pledge was administered by Assam chief secretary V.K. Pipersenia.