KARACHI: The Sindh government is working hard to enhance literacy ratio in the country as it is the only tool which can get rid of prevalent corruption in the society. This was stated by Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah while presiding over a meeting of Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) at the Chief Minister’s House on Thursday. Minister for Home and Anti-Corruption Sohial Siyal, Anti-Corruption Chairman Syed Mumtaz Shah, Principal Secretary to CM Alamuddin Bullo and other officers concerned attended the meeting. “The government wants to stop corrupt practices in the provincial government department that is why I am reviewing the progress of ACE off and on,” said the chief minister, adding “we have a good team in the anti-corruption department led by the home minister and he has delivered well”. Briefing the meeting, ACE Chairman Mumtaz Shah said that from January to March 31, his team made 22 surprise visits, conducted 41 raids, made nine traps and registered and arrested 82 government officials by registering 62 FIRs in nine districts of the province, including Karachi East, West, South, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Jamshoro, Shaheed Benazirabad, Sukkur and Larkana. He said that in the past challans were not submitted in the courts but this time the ACE has submitted 65 challans in the court during first quarter of the current year and so far four officials, including one in South and three in Hyderabad have been convicted. Giving department-wise details, the ACE chairman said that out of 82 officers arrested from 28 departments, nine belong to Home Department, 18 Revenue, 14 Education, four Food, four Excise and Taxation, five Health, one official of Zakat an Ushr, two of Livestock and Fisheries, one of Cooperative Department, two of Irrigation Department, each one of Forest, Law, Works and Services Population, Sports, Slums and Safety Commission, while four of Public Health Engineering, five of Registration and two officials of Education Department were arrested. He said that the ACE has opened 373 inquiries against more than 400 officials. The inquiries are being done by dedicated officers. The chief minister said that impartial inquiries should be conducted without harassing any officer. He urged Home and Inquiries Minister Sohail Siyal to personally ensure that no officers be harassed. Sohail said that he has allowed ACE to function freely. “We have adopted a non-interference policy in the ACE and it was working freely and independently, that was why it had produced good results,” he said.