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Marking the commencement of Vigilance Awareness Week (VAW) 2026, being observed from October 26 to November 1, Union Secretary, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Shri Sudhansh Pant, today administered the Integrity Pledge to senior officers and staff of the Ministry, at a ceremony held in the National Capital.
The ceremony reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to promoting transparency, probity, accountability and ethical conduct in public service, while strengthening collective efforts to eliminate corruption from the administrative system.
Addressing the officers, Shri Sudhansh Pant emphasised the need to ensure transparency and efficiency across all Bureaus, Divisions, autonomous bodies, corporations and allied departments under the Ministry.
He urged officers to work towards establishing a corruption-free administrative system and accord highest priority to the timely disposal of public interest matters relating to various schemes and programmes.
The Secretary highlighted that efficient and transparent administration is essential to ensuring that the benefits of government initiatives reach eligible beneficiaries without delay. He also encouraged officers to sustain existing best practices, develop new result-oriented approaches and continuously identify and address systemic gaps that may create opportunities for corruption.
During the ceremony, officers and staff reaffirmed their commitment to upholding integrity, following the rule of law and discharging their official responsibilities in the larger public interest.
As part of the week-long observance, the Ministry is organising various awareness activities, including quizzes and expert lectures, to sensitise employees to the importance of vigilance, accountability and ethical governance. These initiatives aim to strengthen awareness of responsible conduct and reinforce a culture of integrity across the organisation.
Pertinently, the Integrity Pledge calls upon every citizen to uphold the highest standards of honesty, neither give nor accept bribes, perform all duties in an honest and transparent manner, act in the public interest, lead by example through personal integrity and report incidents of corruption to the appropriate authorities.
Through the observance of Vigilance Awareness Week 2026, the Ministry reiterates its resolve to promote a transparent, accountable and citizen-centric administrative framework and strengthen public confidence in the effective implementation of its welfare schemes and programmes.
PR-185-TAR/KV/GA/RK
Official source
[Read the original PIB release](https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2328437)
Source attribution: Press Information Bureau, Government of India.