After Narco Hunt, Chennithala's Project Zero Takes Aim at Systemic Corruption

Thiruvananthapuram: Fresh off the widely-acclaimed success of Operation Toofan, The Narco Hunt, his anti-narcotics campaign that mobilised Kerala's schools against drug abuse, Home and Vigilance Minister Ramesh Chennithala has launched a new front in public life - a people's movement against corruption called Project Zero.

Where Operation Toofan asked citizens to stand up against narcotics, Project Zero - "Vigilance Whistle" - asks them to stand up against graft. Launched jointly by the Vigilance Department and the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB), the initiative goes beyond bribery to target every quiet, systemic form of corruption: officials sitting on files, deliberate delays, decisions made to flatter power rather than serve the public. It is designed to convert ordinary citizens from bystanders into stakeholders - empowering them to report corruption directly, with anonymity strictly protected, through the toll-free number 1064 or at www.vigilance.kerala.gov.in.

At the heart of the campaign is Kerala's youth. Following the Toofan template of equipping school students as "Toofan Warriors," college students across the state are being enlisted as "Vigilance Commandos" - a young, visible corps trained to raise awareness and sustain civic pressure against corruption in their own communities. The programme also includes vigilance workshops for officers and an updated Vigilance Manual to keep enforcement current.

The launch event, held at Loyola School Auditorium in Thiruvananthapuram, saw Minister Chennithala inaugurate the campaign alongside popular film actor Nivin Pauly, who became the first Vigilance Commando and administered the anti-corruption pledge to students gathered from schools and colleges across the state.

Minister Chennithala said, "Corruption is not only about accepting a bribe. When a citizen's file is delayed without reason, when an official's ego must be satisfied before a rightful service is delivered, that too is corruption - and it will not be tolerated. No matter who is involved, even if it is me, people must have the courage to speak up. Project Zero is a people's movement to bring corruption down to zero, and to build a Kerala where honesty is rewarded, not punished."

The Minister added that officials found to have taken bribes to clear files - even in cases already closed - will have those files reopened for review, with strict action against anyone found guilty. He also announced that honest, upright officials will be identified and rewarded, and that recruitment into Vigilance will prioritise officers screened for integrity and genuine commitment to public service.

Actor Nivin Pauly, addressing students at the launch, said that a robust system of governance can only be built by a citizenry willing to respond and hold those in power accountable. He noted that a mindset which glorifies shortcuts over honest effort is itself part of the culture of corruption, and that it falls to the next generation-one that asks questions and demands evidence-to help reverse it.

The event was chaired by Kazhakootam MLA V. Muraleedharan, with Governor's Secretary Dr. K. Vasuki IAS attending as chief guest. VACB Director and DGP Manoj Abraham IPS delivered the keynote address, with senior police officials and Loyola institution heads in attendance. Students from schools and colleges across the state received badges from the Minister, formally inducting them as Vigilance Commandos.

Project Zero follows the interstate momentum built by Operation Toofan and marks Chennithala's expansion from narcotics enforcement into a broader, youth-anchored campaign for institutional integrity - reinforcing a governance narrative built on transparency, citizen participation, and zero tolerance for corruption at any level.

For more information or to join the initiative: vigilance.kerala.gov.in

To report corruption: Toll-free 1064 (informant identity kept strictly confidential)