The buzz against corruption started by the Anna Hazare-led movement is being matched by welcome initiatives to clean the system, launched by several state governments. Using new legislative tools to crack down on erring bureaucrats and ensure smooth delivery of services to the people, they are setting new standards in public welfare. Most importantly, the aim is to provide good governance at the grassroots rather than focus on big-ticket legislations that may not directly affect the common man.

The lead in this regard has been taken by Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar. And he started out much before Anna, the impetus in Bihar's case arising from the nadir of underdevelopment it had arrived at as a corruptionridden BIMARU state prior to Nitish. Chief among such initiatives is the Bihar Special Courts Act, 2009, which establishes special tribunals for the speedy trial of offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act. It is under the provisions of this new law that the swanky property of a Bihar-cadre IAS officer was recently seized and converted into a school for underprivileged children. The example shows how liabilities can be turned into assets by a determined government. The state government also enacted the Right to Service Act this Independence Day, to provide time-bound public services across 10 departments such as issuance of driver's licence and other routine permits.

Similarly, the Delhi government has come up with its Right of Citizen to Time Bound Delivery of Services Act, 2011. Coming into force from today, the legislation seeks to ensure smooth service delivery in 28 categories such as issuance of a new electricity connection, birth and death certificates and ration cards. Apart from administrative action, delays will attract a monetary penalty, which will be deducted from the salary of the erring official. In Madhya Pradesh, the state administration is said to have disposed of 3.6 million complaints in less than a year under its Public Service Guarantee Act. In Chhattisgarh, PDS reforms such as handing over the running of PDS shops to gram panchayats and other community bodies have helped increase coverage of welfare schemes.

Such measures need to be encouraged to increase the scope for reforms and ensure transparency. The Aadhaar or Unique Identification project is a potent tool that should be leveraged to push initiatives such as rural banking and healthcare. E-governance must be pushed vigorously to ensure computerisation and transparency of government records. It is only through reducing the number of discretionary check posts in the government-public interface that corruption can truly be tackled.

David Fuller's view This is welcome news following a number of widely publicised incidences of corruption over the last year. If India can prove that it is rolling back the previously endemic tide of corruption, the county's appeal in the eyes of international investors will be considerably enhanced.