Stressing the need to step up the anti-corruption drive, they also said the institutions concerned must be effective and strong to win the war on corruption. At the same time, it has to be ensured that no innocent persons are victimised, they added.

Jubo Nagorik Odhikar Jote, Nagorik Uddyog and Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) jointly organised the roundtable at the National Press Club.

"It is possible to eliminate corruption using the indomitable spirit of the youth," said Khan Sarwar Murshid, a trustee of TIB and chairperson of Nagorik Uddyog.

Youths have emerged as the power of change as they always want to resist corruption and irregularities, he said, adding that the spirit of the youths might be used to curb corruption.

Presenting the keynote paper, Shamim Iftekhar, advocacy officer of TIB, said corruption could not be curbed due to lack of political will.

Even the institutions such as parliament, judiciary, law enforcement agency, administration, Election Commission, Public Service Commission, Anti-Corruption Commission had been ineffective, he added.

Corruption has spread to every sector in the country as corrupt people have gone unpunished, he said.

The speakers said a corruption-free environment is necessary to reduce unemployment and that the youth should come forward to create such an environment.

Sazzad Hossain, senior advocacy officer of TIB, Firoj Ahamed, youth coordinator of Jubo Nagorik Odhikar Jote, Mursalin Khan Chowdhury, director of TIB, and Shamsul Haque Polash, Saqlain and Shahjahan Hossain Saju, members of youth engagement and support programme of TIB, also spoke at the roundtable moderated by Zakir Hossain, chief executive of Nagorik Uddyog.