Monday, September 5 2005 14:46 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today (Sept 5, 2005) advocated launch of a 'national campaign' to root out corruption.

This was stated by him while releasing a book by Congress Lok Sabha MP from Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir, Chaudhury Lal Singh, entitled 'Mission of the Masses,' a chronicle of his efforts to serve the people of the state.

Observing that Lal Singh made determined efforts to root out corruption in the delivery of health services as a Health Minister in the state earlier for 15 months, the Prime Minister said, "The fight against corruption has to be a national campaign."

"We need more people like Lal Singh to carry forward that work," he said.

The Prime Minister said, "I have often said that all power is a societal trust. You cannot sit on power, you have to spend it. But you must spend it for public good," adding that the Congress MP was a 'shining example' of that.

The book was an indication of Lal Singh's desire to set things right that all is not well with our system and that we need a determined drive to root our corruption, to root out its causes which gives rise to persistence of social inequalities and social injustice," the Prime Minister said.