# Arappor Iyakkam urges systemic reforms to sustain TN anti-corruption drive 2026-08-12T00:56:20+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Anti-corruption activist Jayaram Venkatesan of Arappor Iyakkam has said bribery has come down in Tamil Nadu in the first two months of Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay's government. He told The Federal that the government has cancelled several inflated tenders, including a Rs 274-crore Chennai Corporation pathway tender and nearly Rs 2,000 crore in electricity board tenders. Twenty-two water resources tenders in Pollachi were also scrapped. But Venkatesan stressed that systemic reforms are needed to sustain the drive. He called for amending the Tender Transparency Act to mandate open bidding for all tenders above Rs 1 lakh, and automatic cancellation of tenders that attract only one bidder. He also flagged gaps in e-governance and noted that only 10 of 40 complaints have led to FIRs. Institutional changes, not just initial steps, are essential, he said. ## Coverage - thefederal.com Tags: anti-corruption, Arappor Iyakkam, bribery, systemic reforms, Tamil Nadu, tenders Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/arappor-iyakkam-urges-systemic-reforms-to-sustain-tn-anti-corruption-drive/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/arappor-iyakkam-urges-systemic-reforms-to-sustain-tn-anti-corruption-drive/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.