PTI
NEW DELHI, AUGUST 18
Citing serious concern over significant delays in disposing of corruption related complaints, the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has asked all departments under it to take expeditious action.In a circular to all chief vigilance officers (CVOs) of ministries, public sector banks, insurance companies and enterprises, the CVC said they should first focus on disposing of cases pending for more than six months and that a review will be carried out in first week of October.
The direction came after CVC reviewed pendencies of investigations reports, whistleblower complaints, implementation of its advices for both major and minor penalty and cases with departmental investigating officer.
“It was noticed with serious concern that there have been significant delays in many cases. To start with, Commission would like to deal with pendency exceeding six months,” the anti-corruption watchdog said in the circular. It has asked all CVOs, who act as distant arm of the CVC, to review the pendency in their organisations and to draw plans to ensure expeditious disposal of all the cases pending for over six months, the directive said.
Those who have less cases pending for over six months may plan to deal with pendency of less than six months.
Progress on disposal of such cases will be reviewed in the first week of October 2015, it said.
The CVC has also asked all the CVOs to log on to their respective accounts to check pendency of the cases. “Though it is known to CVOs that list of pending cases is available in the account of every CVO on Commission’s website, it appears that some of the CVOs are not looking into the details or not taking necessary action to deal with such cases,” it said asking them to regularly log on to the website.The Commission monitors the performance of the CVOs through a well established mechanism like monthly reports, annual performance assessment reports and reviews through the sectoral or zonal meetings convened by it from time to time. CVOs are also required to send quarterly progress report to the Chief Technical Examination Organisation (CTEO) of the Central Vigilance Commission giving details about the major purchases, procurements or works undertaken or being under-taken by the organisation.
From these reports, the CTEO selects some of the works, as a test-check, to be undertaken for intensive examination. The CVOs had received 45,713 complaints last year. Of these, 32,054 were disposed of and 13,659 others were pending. A total of 6,499 complaints were pending for more than six months, according to a CVC data.
About 2,831 cases of departmental enquiries against employees for their alleged involvement in corruption were also pending for more than six months. The CVOs had received 11,180 such cases during 2014, it said.
At present, Central Board of Direct Taxes, Central Board of Excise & Customs, Central Public Works Department, Department of Telecom, Department of Posts, Ministry of Railways and a majority of the public sector enterprises, public sector banks and insurance companies have full-time CVOs, while others have part-time CVOs.
There are 199 posts of full time and 483 posts of part time CVOs.
